


Manservant Turned Prince

by Amanda_Yates



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Amnesia, Arranged Marriage, BAMF Merlin, Engagement, Induced loss of Memory, M/M, Magical Combat, Royal Merlin, UST
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2015-09-17
Packaged: 2018-04-19 03:11:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4730696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amanda_Yates/pseuds/Amanda_Yates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin get's lost in the forest and gets a lot more than he bargained for when he wakes up to realise he is the Prince of a magical kingdom.SLASH, Arthur/Merlin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

In retrospect Merlin realized he probably should have kept his mouth shut or atleast brought Gwaine with him, but no he had come alone hoping to get away from the castle. He just wanted some space after the witchfinder had come and threatened everything he had built for himself in Camelot. He could still see Gaius being dragged in chains and forced to kneel in front of Uther, oh how he hated Uther, if only Arthur knew of his manic thoughts of exacting revenge on Uther for every sorcerer he put to death, but they would only be thoughts of course, he wouldn't dream of doing anything because that would hurt Arthur too much and Merlin really couldn't bring himself to kill anyone other than the times when someone threatened Arthur.

Arthur, Arthur, Arthur, everything he did was for Arthur and did the prat ever notice him, no, never, no he was just clumsy, idiotic, girly Merlin to Arthur. Merlin had come to the startling revelation that he might quite possibly be a little in love with the golden haired prince of Camelot, believe it or not Merlin wouldn't go charging into danger without a thought for just anyone and although whatever the dragon frequently spouted about shared destiny, coins, halves and marvelous futures it just wasn't inspiration enough for anyone let alone Merlin to risk his neck day in and day out for a person who if he knew the truth about Merlin might just decide to chop his neck off.

Before the witchfinder came he was sure that Arthur would never allow his father to harm the people he knew intimately but when he had seen Arthur standing stiffly near the pyre with Gaius on it something had broken in Merlin and he was second guessing about destiny and wondering if it was worth all the effort if Arthur was going to turn up just like Uther. But by then he was in too deep anyway and this was no longer about protecting Arthur so that he could grow to be a great King and return magic to the realm, it had stopped being about that a long time ago. Now Merlin was protecting Arthur because he can't imagine not protecting him or leaving him, it was painful to even think of it, a life without Arthur was a life that didn't bode well to him even in his mind.

Merlin looked around paranoid even though he was sure he was well and truly lost and probably far away from Camelot and extended his hand whispering a spell to guide his way. His eyes glowed gold with the power before fading away and Merlin frowned when he realized he was no closer to finding out which way to go, he sighed and repeated the spell but nothing happened. In his frustration he began to mutter about how it was unfair for the world's most powerful sorcerer to be unable to perform a simple locating charm but before he could into his ranting there was the snap of a branch and Merlin quietened listening carefully praying for it not be a massive bear which he may not be able to throw a spear at magically because he had no spear or any other weapons really except his magic which seemed to be failing him at the moment because he couldn't disillusion himself and he had mastered the spell in the last year or so. Before he could go into full blown panic and run though he heard a voice come from behind him.

"Lost my boy, are you?"

Merlin spun around and gasped despite himself at the majestic looking man sitting atop a unicorn. He had dark raven hair with grey flecks in between and yet he looked youthful, he had jade green eyes that were kind as they looked down at Merlin and yet Merlin somehow knew that this was a man of great power and authority. Merlin could feel the man's magic humming between himself and the man and the feel of the magic was strangely familiar although Merlin was sure he had never met the man before.

"Uhmm…no, no, I'm not lost I just…ehmm…I was just on my way actually" said Merlin as he dropped his gaze to the forest floor and looked at anywhere but at the man. The man's intense stare made him uncomfortable and conscious of himself somehow.

"Do not lie to me young man!"

Merlin who ought to feel angered and outraged by this strange man's gall at calling unwanted attention to him felt chastised and berated somehow and only Gaius or his mother and sometimes Arthur could make him feel that way.

"No matter, you are never again going back to Camelot!" said the man with absolute resolve which made Merlin look up at the man with indignation before he remembered the man wasn't supposed to know that he lived in Camelot.

"Who do you think you are to tell me where I can and cannot go and how do you know I'm from Camelot?"

The man laughed uproariously as Merlin frowned, "Such a belligerent child but I am pleased nonetheless if you can imagine, however I will not tolerate anymore insults from you!"

Merlin tried several times to use his magic but the simmering golden power under his skin was lost to him somehow and Merlin bit his lip trying again and again before he heard the man chuckle again.

"Your magic will do no harm to me Merlin, your efforts are futile!"

Merlin panicked and the fear showed on his face as the other mans eyes softened as he came forward on his unicorn, Merlin took a few steps back paralyzed with fear.

The man finally got off his unicorn and came forward towards Merlin on foot, when he was close enough to Merlin he whispered "You have nothing to fear from me child." and somehow to Merlin it was reassuring although he didn't know who this man was and that was the last thing Merlin felt before his world went dark.

The man picked Merlin's body up with great care and placed him on the unicorn before he mounted it himself and propped Merlin's body up and against his own reciting a spell to keep Merlin there. For a moment the older man gazed down at the young boy his eyes turning soft as he brushed the hair out of Merlin's face before saying, "Nothing to fear at all my son."

The next time Merlin woke up it was to the sound of voices and Merlin groaned slowly blinking open his eyes when someone gasped Merlin turned to look at said someone who was a lady dressed in the finest gowns he'd ever seen, magic oozed out of it leaving no doubt as to how the fabric must have been spun. The lady was just as mystic and beautiful as the gown and jewellery she wore and her deep blue eyes were soulful and full of wisdom and compassion.

"He looks just like you my dear! I cannot believe I am finally seeing him for myself after all these years!" the women's eyes were glazed now as she looked at Merlin with an affectionate yearning.

"He has your eyes Esmeralda."

It was that soft, affectionate voice that made Merlin look up into the face of the man he had seen last in the forest and he immediately sat up, his mind on full alert. He looked at his surroundings concluding it was a chamber big enough for a royal and then noticed that the bed he was on was soft as a feather and must belong to a royal as well. But the most important part of the matter was that this place wherever it was was not Camelot and he had probably been kidnapped though he couldn't imagine why.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" asked Merlin as he moved away from the man and woman trying to gather his magic which wouldn't respond to his call.

The woman's beautiful eyes glazed over in pain but she reached forward with both her hands resting them on Merlin's shoulder, "You have nothing to fear from us Emrys, you are our son, we wouldn't dream of ever hurting you!"

Merlin's eyebrows rose in shock and denial as he said "Your son? No….no…I'm the son of Hunith of Ealdor, I don't know what you are talking about!" even as he felt the truth in the woman's words and Esmeralda dropped her hands from her sons shoulders taking a deep breath.

Esmeralda sighed as she sat down on the bed with her son, there was a lot of explaining to do, "No, Hunith raised you as her son because we asked her to."

Merlin opened and closed his mouth wanting to tell them that they were liars but held his tongue when he was directed a stern look from the man standing beside Esmeralda.

Esmeralda who was pained to see her son so confused and anxious reached out and took one of his hands in hers stroking circles on Emrys' palm before starting, "You must understand my son, we would never have abandoned you if there was any other way! When you were born was the time of the great purge when Uther Pendragon killed every person suspected of sorcery across the five kingdoms and beyond and no one was in more danger of being destroyed by him than you!"

"I had a kingdom to protect and at that time our army was severely outnumbered to Uther's, we would have stood no chance even with magic at our side" said the man.

"Kingdom?" asked Merlin bewildered by this farfetched and utterly unbelievable story.

Esmeralda's lips turned into a beatific smile as she nodded and explained, "The Kingdom of the Banraven's, the strongest magical kingdom the world has ever seen!"

"Uther had started his purge almost a year before your birth and we knew he would want to attack our kingdom although he was biding his time, an attack we were not ready for at the time as more and more sorcerers were killed the magic that kept our kingdom stable began to crumble along with every life Uther took in the name of purging the evil that was sorcery!" there was a distinct hatred for Uther in the man's speech and Merlin was stunned to hear he had been hunted for possessing magic even at his birth, if what they told him was true of course.

"We knew Uther was planning on taking you away from us using his assassins and spies but we had our own spy in Camelot. Furthermore, all the sorcerers wanting revenge on Uther saw you as their tool as you are prophesized to be the greatest sorcerer the world would ever know, we could not trust people even within out castle to not take you away so we had to act. If there was any other way for us to have kept you we would have, I cannot begin to explain just how much I have longed to see you all these years…my son." Esmeralda finished with as tears streaked down her face and she kissed Merlin's hand as her husband soothed her by putting his hands on her shaking shoulders.

Merlin couldn't comprehend any of it, he had just been told that his whole life had been a lie. He couldn't fathom the thought of being a noble magician's son or even a magical kingdom existing which is why he asked "I've never heard of the existence of magical kingdoms, Uther has destroyed druids who live in the woods but there was never a kingdom…"

"That is because we left, to another realm…we escaped with as many sorcerers and druids as possible although we knew we must return someday!" said the man looking solemn as Esmeralda finally wiped her eyes and took hold of the man's hands on her shoulder.

"We couldn't take you with us because you were too young then, the teleportation magic had to be very strong and it would have killed you had we used it to take you with us."

Merlin felt confused, angry, shock and denial and each expression chased over the other and what came out of his mouth was, "I still cannot believe you unless you can prove it."

The man was about to protest but Esmeralda shook her head which seemed to pacify him and he muttered some strange words of the Old religion that Merlin understood halfway before he saw silvery mists spinning in the air reaching for him and surrounding him becoming ribbons of silver as they glowed brightly, he looked at Esmeralda who had begun her chanting and as her eyes glowed golden the ribbons fragmented into pieces except one which connected his right wrist to Esmeralda and the man, the other fragments spun in the air for a moment before rearranging themselves into the words "MERLIN EMRYS BANRAVEN, SON OF PHINEAS BANRAVEN AND ESMERALDA BANRAVEN"

Merlin needed no further confirmation as the ribbons of sliver began to fade as did the letters. Merlin was silent for a long moment before he asked "So…what do you want from me now?"

"We want you to assume your rightful place as the Prince of this Kingdom!" said Phineas as though it should have been obvious.

Merlin shook his head saying "I'm not a Prince, I'm a peasant, I'm Prince Arthur's manservant in Camelot…I know nothing about being a Prince!"

Phineas' lip curled in something resembling disgust as he spat, "Yes we heard of your disposition with our mortal enemy, it seems Gaius has failed me for which he would pay indeed, if we had heard of this atrocity we would have come sooner my son!"

"No, no….you don't understand…I can't stay here…."

Esmeralda's hurt look made Merlin's chest ache as she said "My son, I realize it was very wrong of us to abandon you and I am sorry, so very sorry but please do not say you will not stay with us here, it is where you belong….if you are angry I can…" but she didn't get to finish her sentence when Merlin interrupted.

"I'm not angry, I'm confused but I'm not angry, I understand why you had to leave me but I can't stay here, my home is in Camelot, I have to go back!"

Esmeralda gasped and moved back clutching her hand to her heart as she turned to her husband who looked equally shell shocked.

"Why would you go back to Camelot? Uther and his son would surely condemn you to death for possessing magic!"

Merlin flinched when he realized it was probably true but shoved the images of his head on a block away before saying "I know but I have to go back, I have to, me and Arthur, we share a destiny!"

"Destiny?" Phineas asked looking incredulous.

"Yes, the great Dragon told me it was my destiny to protect Arthur! That he would be the greatest King Albion had ever known and I would be the one to help him along the way!"

"Kilgarrah is delusional at the best of times, being locked up in the cell for nearly two decades has clearly addled his mind!" intoned Phineas.

Before Merlin could voice another protest Phineas came forward and touched the side of Merlin's cheeks making him fall into the bed in deep slumber.

* * *

 

After about a week of Merlin's unshakable determination to escape and go back to Camelot the King and Queen of the Banraven kingdom made their decision and when Merlin slept that night under the enchantment of Phineas they took Merlin to the dungeons deep below the castle where the a single large cell had been prepared for the ritual.

The next day Merlin woke up when a servant arrived in his chambers announcing, "It is time to wake up your highness!"

To which Merlin groaned and replied, "Five more minutes!" curling further into the bed.

"Your majesty, your father wishes to see you in an hour at council chambers!" said the servant pulling the curtains away which made the bright sunlight shine directly onto the prince's face.

"What is the benefit of being a Prince if I don't even get to sleep a while longer?" asked Merlin as he got up slowly and waved his hand to fill the bath as he stepped out of his sleeping robes and into the bath.

"Do you want me to fetch your breakfast your highness?"

"No Gilli, I think I can manage! You can go and get Aithusa ready for the ride; he's gone lazy on his white hide for far too long!"

"Yes sire!"

"And drop the honorifics Gilli, really they make me feel old!"

The manservant said nothing to that as he exited his master's rooms after waving his hand and setting out the clothes for the prince on the bed.


	2. Chapter - 2

**Chapter 2  
**

Gaius looked up from his workbench as the Prince of Camelot entered the room with a grim look on his face.

Arthur hesitated for a moment before saying "Gaius, Gwaine and Lancelot have returned from the patrol, they found no sign of him."

Gaius sighed, he had suspected as much and knew it was only a matter of time but it didn't make the disappointment any less. Merlin had been the son he had never had and now he wondered if he would ever get to see him again.

Arthur came into the physician's quarters as Gwaine and Lancelot appeared as well, "Are you sure you searched the entire border?"

"Yes Arthur" Gwaine said in a gruff voice, they had exhausted themselves trying to find their friend.

Morgana came striding in next and all of them turned to look at her when she explained, "I heard you had returned, I wanted to know if you found what happened to Merlin!"

Gaius shot a weary look towards Morgana, ever since Merlin had revealed his magic to Morgana they had become the closest of friends after the angry indignation of Morgana's of course but still he didn't want Morgana involved in this quest as it would put her and the others in great danger if Gaius' suspicions were right.

"Maybe all hope is lost..." said Arthur with his head bowed down.

"NO!" Morgana screeched and Arthur turned towards her in annoyance, ever since Merlin and Morgana had gotten chummy Morgana always saw it fit to annoy him about not going after Merlin himself and how he was such an ungrateful bastard and all manner of ill things, looking at her tear stained cheeks though Arthur's annoyance melted away and he said "Morgana, it's been a month, if someone were holding him for a ransom we would have heard!"

Morgana shook her head, "I cannot believe you! He is alive! I know he is! We have to find him and bring him back!" Morgana gave a pointed look towards Lancelot, 'he cannot be dead!'

Arthur himself had had enough and he shouted "And where do you suppose we could find him? Gwaine and Lancelot searched the entirety of Camelot, Cenred's kingdom and Bayard's!"

Morgana looked contemplative for a moment before saying "Maybe we're all looking in the wrong place."

Arthur could not stop the condescending comment before it was out of his mouth, "Ah, my point exactly Morgana!"

Morgana who was always vying for a fight with Arthur remained silent and contemplative though and after a few minutes she said "I know of only one person who could tell us where Merlin must be!"

Gaius warned "Morgana!"

Morgana looked at Gaius with a beseeching look, "We have to find him Gaius!"

"What? What is it you both know that you aren't telling us?" asked Arthur as Gwaine looked on with interest.

Morgana took a deep breath before answering, "The is a dragon beneath the castle who is a friend to Merlin, he might be able to help us find him."

Arthur looked incredulous, "A dragon? Morgana really…."

Morgana was indignant at once, "I'm not lying! Your father captured it during the great purge! I've seen it below the castle's dungeons!"

"I always thought that was a myth!" said Arthur turning to look at Gaius hopefully, willing him to prove Morgana's claims wrong but Gaius looked only faintly amused by the shock on Arthur's face.

"There is a bleeding dragon in my castle and I didn't know about it?"

Morgana huffed, "Trust you to get the point that is entirely irrelevant Arthur, we should go down tonight!"

"MORGANA!" Arthur screeched his eyes wide and mouth open saying "IT'S A DRAGON, YOU CAN'T JUST GO IN THERE AND HAVE A TEA PARTY! IT'S DANGEROUS!"

Morgana frowned, "Maybe for you, but not for me it's not dangerous!"

"What is that even supposed to mean? It's dangerous for everyone!"

Morgana smirked at Arthur, "Oh Arthur, if you are afraid you could just stay safe and secure in your chambers."

"I AM NOT AFRAID!" snapped Arthur.

"Then we go tonight!"

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

Arthur turned and signaled to Gwaine and Lancelot who were looking on amused to follow him out.

"I don't think it is a wise idea to try to find him Morgana" said Gaius.

Morgana turned, "Why not Gaius?"

A long suffering sigh later Gaius said "I fear he maybe lost to us Morgana, perhaps forever!"

Morgana frowned before walking away purposefully out of the physician's chambers.

* * *

Meanwhile in the kingdom hidden to all but people who possessed the gift of magic Prince Emrys trained with Master Ambrosius as his father watched from the stands.

They were learning how to turn inanimate objects into animated magical creatures which could be used to attack an enemy in battle.

Merlin had his hands raised and eyes glowing gold as he turned a quill into a golden eyed eagle for a moment before it fizzled and faded out of his sight. Merlin frowned, he had been trying to get this spell for the past twenty minutes and he had yet to maintain the spell for a length of time.

"Perhaps you could try another form Sire, a magical creature would make it easier and since you are a dragonlord you could think of your dragon." Ambrosius instructed and Merlin nodded his head and closed his eyes picturing the white dragon Aithusa which he had named himself.

He opened his eyes and looked at the quill willing it into the shape he wanted it to take and the air sizzled with his power as a dragon's snout first appeared followed by the limbs and the tail, it was white like Aithusa and barely the size of a large dog but the spell remained and the dragon opened its mouth and blew and breath of fire before flying in low circles across the training field.

Merlin grinned and looked at his father and the Knights as they clapped their hands in encouragement. Ambrosius gave him a nod in acknowledgement before he announced "Let todays match begin!"

Merlin took the center of the training field as Knight Brom stood opposite to him, they nodded at each other Merlin smirked saying "Think you could beat me this time Brom?"

Brom smirked back as he said "You're getting pig headed dear Prince, I would love to deflate that ego of yours!"

Merlin's smirk turned into an all out grin as he shook his head to the side and said "Well, winning every time against every knight can do that to you!"

Brom's smirk never faded as he said "Not this time, I have a new trick up my sleeve"

Ambrosius released the golden ball of light from his hand which came to rest in the middle of the two contestants, "Begin!" he said and the ball of light exploded between them and disappeared into sparkling dust in the surrounding air.

After another hour when Merlin had beaten three knights in a row he went into the castle teasing Brom as he said "New trick up your sleeve Brom, to your credit I will say it took me a moment to figure out the counter curse!"

Brom scowled as Merlin, Ulric and Althalos laughed saying "Oh shut up you! You did not do a counter spell, you just made something up with your instinctive magic as you went!"

"But I won anyway!" intoned Merlin and another round of laughter followed this time Brom joining in as he said "Yes I suppose you did, I wish you could have been with us a lot earlier!"

Merlin frowned "I wish so too but alas I am here now and that is all that matters!"

Just then they saw Queen Esmeralda walking towards them and Merlin stopped laughing so raucously as the knights took their leave. "Emrys! I have been wanting to see you!"

Merlin walked forward with a smile on his face as he said "Mother' and kissed his mothers cheek, 'what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh nothing, how was training today my dear?" the Queen asked as she linked her hands with Merlin's and led them in the direction of the library.

"It was brilliant; I managed to defeat Brom, Althalos and Ulric in just under an hour! Though I must admit Brom's tricks were a bit confusing to get around!"

"Perhaps you should duel with your father; you need practice with someone with equal power."

"Mother, if you will excuse me, I have to go tend to Firefreeze in the stables, he's been getting ansty without seeing me!"

"Run along then!" the Queen waved her hand and Merlin ran off in the opposite direction humming a tune to himself.

* * *

"Morgana, are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Arthur for the umpteenth time as they descended the stairs of the dungeons. They had asked Lancelot and Gwaine to take care of the guards while they crept past them into the deepest part of the castle.

"Yes Arthur and if you ask me that again god help me I will spike your drink with something that causes warts!"

"How dare you? And how is it that you know about this dragon while Merlin never saw it fit to tell me about it?"

Morgana huffed, "He wasn't required to tell you anything! He was your servant!"

"And therefore supposed to tell me these things as any master is due honesty from his servant! Why did he tell you?"

"He's my friend, of course he told me!"

"He's my friend too! And he was my friend before you became his friend!" snapped Arthur getting irrationally jealous and angry at the thought of there being any romantic relationship between Merlin and Morgana.

"Well, perhaps he would have told you if you actually ever listen to anything he says! You never believe him anyway so why must he tell you?"

"What? When have I not believed him?"

"The troll, the unicorn, Cedric and a dozen other things I'd rather not talk about!"

"He told this all to you!" Arthur accused and Morgana glared after which they silently trudged through the tunnel.

They reached the dead end of the cave and Morgana whispered "This is it, he must be here!"

Arthur nodded and surveyed the depths of the dragon's lair feeling faint when Morgana screeched "Great Dragon, we seek an audience!"

Arthur turned shocked eyes to Morgana but before he could properly express his fear he heard the beat of massive wings and turned around to catch sight of the dragon landing on its perch.

"Arthur Pendragon, I never thought this would be the day I got to see you!"

If Arthur was surprised at the dragon being able to talk he didn't show it. He held the torch tightly in his hand and tried not to cower and run back into the safety of the castle.

"We need your help, Merlin is missing and we have searched but he cannot be found!" said Morgana.

The dragon hummed before saying "Perhaps he simply does not wish to be found."

Morgana shook her head refusing to believe this was all the dragon had to offer, "You must know where he is! He would never want to be away from Camelot willingly, he considers Camelot his home!"

The dragon blinked his huge golden eyes before saying "Very well, Merlin can be found in the great Kingdom of the Banraven's who have once again returned to the realm!"

Before Morgana or Arthur could refute the existence of the Banraven kingdom the dragon flew away from its perch its last words of advice being "You must go with them to find him Morgana!"

When they came back Gaius had explained about it all and about how they should just leave well enough alone because Banraven's kingdom was magical and there was no telling what they would do to Uther's son were he found loitering it's walls.

But as usual they never listened and at the next dawn Arthur, his most trusted knights, Morgana and her handmaiden Guinevere set off to the magical kingdom that was now only visible to those with the gift, Gaius had quite understandably excluded that information about that and now Morgana had to struggle to lead the men in the right direction while not being too obvious about it and miracle of all miracles Arthur followed silently. Perhaps losing his only close friend had taken its toll on Arthur as well, she mused and wondered if going into a magical kingdom dressed as they were would be wise at all as they had no means to defend themselves against magic and her own magic was too fragile at the moment to be of any use in combat.

However, she knew Merlin must return at all costs otherwise all hopes for Albion would be lost, not to mention Arthur would most probably die from the next magical malady heading towards his head. Gaius had told her though that Merlin would probably be disinclined to leave the Banraven's kingdom as he was the sole heir to the throne and as such the esteemed Prince Emrys Banraven but Morgana was sure she could convince Merlin to come away if only for the sake of destiny if not for Arthur. This was another detail Gaius had shared only with Morgana and Lancelot, she only hoped they could spot Merlin in this Banraven kingdom before they got caught or worse executed on spot.

* * *

"Who are they all father?" asked Prince Emrys as he stood with King Phineas in one of the towers of the castle. People from all over the land had been trickling into their kingdom for the past few days and this was the first time he had the opportunity to ask the king about it as he had been gone on a hunting trip for the past two days.

"Refugees my son, all of them sorcerers seeking protection from Uther and his laws, now that our kingdom is once again strong and mighty I expect no more to suffer under Uther's tyranny."

"Father, are you going to wage war with Uther?" asked Merlin although he suspected it a long time ago.

"Not yet, I want to bide my time, snuff out Camelot's weaknesses, it is rumored that Prince Arthur is the greatest warrior the lands have ever seen."

"But surely his talents are no match to magic!" Prince Emrys exclaimed and Phineas smiled before favoring his son with a warning look.

"Never underestimate the power in numbers my son, many a battle has been lost simply because of it and Camelot's men are seasoned warriors, we must bide our time, train and improve our strength."

"Yes father."

"See to it that the refuges are well taken care of and given a job, and I want you to patrol the castle gates at night with a contingent of knights in case word got out of our return and Uther's men arrive and if you catch someone you are to bring them to me immediately!"

Merlin nodded his head before making his excuses and leaving.

* * *

As they set up a camp Morgana quietly conversed with Lancelot while Gwen was cooking their meal, Gwaine getting drunk out of his flask, Arthur brooding while sitting on a log, Elyan and Percival gone to look for more firewood.

"Are you sure you could find it when the time comes?" asked Lancelot.

Morgana rolled her eyes, "The problem is not finding the kingdom, and the problem will be explaining our presence especially in Camelot's knight garb! It is a magical kingdom, if word got out that they have Uther's son in their midst…."

"But Merlin would surely not any harm come to Arthur!" insisted Lancelot.

Morgana frowned uncertain anyway, she had a bad feeling about this quest and her instincts were usually right, "And there is the fact that Arthur doesn't know about Merlin or me and I can't imagine him not finding out when he finds out Merlin is the prince of a magical realm."

"Never fear, we will all handle him!"

"Maybe Gwaine, Percival and Elyan can, but I'm afraid he's going to be too angry at you and me to even look at us for days and that is if he doesn't run us through first!"

Lancelot gulped and then said "Then we shall defend ourselves!"

Morgana shot the night a smirk as she said "You would challenge the Prince?"

Lancelot shrugged before saying "I am sure he will regret killing us."

Morgana laughed quietly at that and Arthur and Gwen looked up at them, Gwen with a hurt expression and Arthur with bewilderment. Morgana then noticed why Gwen looked so forlorn and moved away from Lancelot not before saying "Talk to her Lancelot!" and sitting next to Arthur as Lancelot tentatively moved towards Gwen.

"You're not bothered then?" asked Morgana as Arthur tilted his head towards her.

"Bothered by what Morgana?" asked Arthur still looking pensively at the fire.

Morgana gestured towards where Lancelot and Gwen were and Arthur looked confused for a bit before he smiled a bit ruefully, "Strangely no, I don't feel bothered at all."

"A few months ago I'm sure it would have bothered you!"

Arthur looked heavenward before he rounded on Morgana "How do you even know? I didn't exactly make it public knowledge!"

Morgana scowled and then Arthur looked betrayed before he said "Merlin! He told you! When we find that idiot! And what on earth could a magical kingdom want with a manservant of Camelot, its not like they can suss out any important information about our army!"

"No but they can suss out information about you!" said Morgana meaningfully before continuing "I think you all must really change into your formal clothes, it would not do for us to be seen with the emblem of Camelot let alone them finding out you are the Crown Prince."

Arthur scowled but nodded his head anyway, "We will change when we move tomorrow, I'll inform the others."

"Morgana, where are you going?' asked Arthur but Morgana paid them no heed not wanting to explain exactly how she knew the way as she rode past the thicket of trees and came to a stop near a river, she could feel the magical aura of the kingdom just beyond and she led the horse through the water as Arthur and the Knights all in their normal clothes struggled to catch up with her with Lancelot leading the party right next to Arthur.

The horse crossed the river to the opposite side coming ashore and when Morgana burst through the thicket of trees she gasped when she saw the tall winding castle of the Banraven kingdom, it's turrets and towers more majestical and tall than Camelot's ever was. The towers were made of white stone just like Camelot's castle but they were adorned with precious stones of all kinds forming intricate patterns of magical animals and legends throughout the walls. Morgana saw the gate to the castle just as Arthur and the knights finally reached them and Morgana incanted a soft spell Gaius had taught her to make the castle visible to the others as well.

"Dear god!" exclaimed Arthur as he gazed with complete admiration at the castle twice as big as Camelots.

The knights and Gwen also stared in open awe at such a thing of beauty before Arthur cleared his throat and said "It still doesn't look better than Camelot!"

"Really Arthur?" Gwaine asked sarcastically and Arthur nodded solemnly to which Gwaine smiled his gruffy grin and asked "How do you figure that Princess?"

Arthur scowled while Morgana smiled at the nick name before saying "It's studded with stones for god's sake…..it's far too….' They all watched Arthur hunt for a suitably insulting word but he only came up with 'girly."

Morgana and Gwen threw Arthur a look of disapproval but Arthur just shrugged and said "It's fitting really, that we should rescue Merlin who is a total girl by sneaking into an equally girly castle, now I'm sure we'll encounter no problems at all!"

Morgana snorted at that and Arthur turned to her to mock her for it when she put her hand out, "Better not insult anyone while you're inside, and remember Arthur your sword cannot protect you against these people!"

Arthur and the Knights sobered pretty quickly at that and Morgana threw a silent prayer to whichever god was listening for their rescue mission to not go completely haywire as she pulled the horses reins.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER - 3  
**

She should have anticipated it of course and they had taken what precautions they could but the sorcerers of this land were far more powerful that she had given them credit for and the guards far more vigilant than they were in Uther's castle. Now they were all forced to kneel in front of King Phineas and his Queen and Morgana desperately searched the crowd for any sign of Merlin for he was the only one who could save them but he was nowhere to be found.

"Well, well, well, what have we here, Prince Arthur Pendragon, I never thought Uther valued his heir so little as to send him to spy on an enemy kingdom!" King Phineas said in a cool voice as if he was asking them to dine together with them.

Arthur and the knights struggled against their bindings but the magic held tight and they only succeeded in rubbing their wrist raw.

The King watched their struggles with mild amusement before he taunted, "Either you must be a disappointment to your father or he does not know of his son's dangerous quest..."

Arthur seeing that it was no use to struggle lifted his blond head regally and said "I am the Crown Prince of Camelot and I demand that you release me immediately!"

Morgana groaned as did Gwaine who muttered "Not a smart move princess!"

King Phineas only chuckled before he stroked his beard and said "I think not, you maybe a respected warrior in your kingdom but here you have no power." He gestured with his hands to the guards who dragged them away and out of the council chambers and deeper into the castle and when Arthur saw the cells of the dungeons he started shouting "MERLIN! MERLIN! COME ON MERLIN, WHERE ARE THEY KEEPING YOU?"

At that the guards stopped and pulled Arthur by the front of his tunic menacingly demanding, "How dare you imply that we keep our Prince captive!"

It took a moment for Arthur to blink away the confusion before he started laughing outright in the guards face who was getting angrier by the minute, "Prince?' asked Arthur as Gwaine and Percival also began to laugh out loud, "I am sure we're not talking about the same person, I am talking about Merlin who was my manservant in Camelot or has he fooled you all into thinking he's actually a prince?"

"Do not speak another insolent word about Prince Merlin if you want to get out of here alive!" the guard said before dumping them all in a huge cell and barring the doors with magic.

They all thought of escape plans but all of them involved a sorcerer benefactor and hence there was probably no sorcerer who would help the Prince of Camelot Arthur sulked while Gwen cried silent tears resting her head on Elyan's shoulder, Gwaine, Percival and Lancelot were busy discussing any ways they could escape like all other times and that's when Morgana decided it had to be done, who knew if King Phineas planned to execute them come dawn, it was entirely possible and Morgana didn't like taking chances.

"Sod this all, Arthur I hope you don't hate me too much after this."

"What are you talking about Morgana?" asked Arthur but before he could say anything more Morgana lifted her hands and blasted the chains holding all of them bound.

Arthur looked decidedly sick for a minute before his expression clouded with anger and betrayal as he said "How could you Morgana?"

Morgana huffed and lifted her chin defiantly before saying "You could hand me to Uther when we return to Camelot but now you need me to escape so shut up! We have to find Merlin!"

Gwaine was torn between amazement and disappointment before he said "She's right, this is not the time for this!"

Gwen rushed towards Morgana and hugged her fiercely.

Arthur appeared to struggle not to scream murder for a minute before he grit his teeth and schooled his expression. "We don't know where to find him!"

"Well you shouldn't have much trouble finding the Prince's chambers since you obviously are one in Camelot."

Arthur sputtered before saying "You mean what that guard said was true? Merlin is the Prince of this Kingdom?"

Morgana nodded solemnly releasing Gwen from her embrace.

"That must mean he has magic too...doesn't it?" asked Gwaine and Arthur looked at Morgana imploringly to tell him it was untrue but Morgana only nodded solemnly again.

Arthur let out a mad bark of laughter before Lancelot intervened saying "Sire, Merlin has never used his powers to harm you! He has only ever tried to protect you with his gifts!"

Arthur turned his look of disbelief to Lancelot and asked "You knew as well? He told you but he didn't see it fit to tell me?"

Lancelot looked sheepish for a moment before saying "He did not tell me sire, I found out when he helped me kill the griffin!"

"And you've been hiding it from me since!" Arthur accused anyway.

Morgana sighed, "I did not unbind us all just for us to sit and argue! We have to get out and not without Merlin!"

Arthur put his head in his hands as he asked "How do you even know he wants to come with us? For all we know he could have been sent to spy on me to Camelot!"

"There is no time to explain now, Gwen, Gwaine, Lancelot, Percival and Elyan you all get away from the dungeons and the castle guards and to our horses we left by the shore. Arthur and I will go get Merlin and meet you there!"

"Atleast one of us should come with you!" said Elyan and Morgana frowned saying "We'll get noticed if there are too many of us!"

Arthur looked ready to protest but before he could voice it Morgana extended her hands towards the cell doors and her eyes glowed gold for a secong before the doors opened inwards. Gwaine took charge then and said "Alright folks, let's hurry up!"

After giving them a head start Morgana and Arthur escaped the dungeons with a little sleeping spell and ran through corridor after corridor of the castle searching for the Prince's rooms but finding none. Finally Morgana just flagged down a maid in the castle and asked her for directions and then Arthur and Morgana were both dodging the guards as there was a patrol of them inside the castle.

Just when they reached the ornate doors of the Prince's rooms a group of three guards all dressed in blue robes and a dark black cloak with a silver raven imprinted on it caught sight of them and came striding forwards. Morgana magically opened the Prince's door before pushing Arhtur inside forcefully telling him "I'll deal with this! You go find him!"

Arthur gasped at the sheer opulence of the room which put his room in Camelot to shame, all the furniture's were made of dark wood and the walls were painted a dark beige color and the carpeting looked so soft and smooth he felt guilty stepping on it with his shoes. Two large cupboards lined the far walls and a desk and chair occupied the other end where some paper and quills were spread out. Before Arthur could continue his observation of the room a familiar voice said "Gilli, I really hope my father isn't asking me to attend one of those boring banquets again!"

Before he could say anything though Merlin stepped out of the screen where he'd been dressing and Arthur took a step back, mouth opening in shock. Merlin looked ethereal in the dark black tunic and trousers he wore with a sliver raven embroidered on his right breast pocket. His pale complexion was set off by the dark hue of the robes and his high cheekbones were framed by raven hair that had grown a little longer to frame his face, also Merlin's hair looked like it had seen a comb in the recent days and his skin glowed with an otherworldly power. "Hummm, you're not Gilli…."he said a bit nervously.

And Arthur blew out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, atleast Merlin was still idiotic and incompetent although he had to admit Merlin looked quite fetching in royal clothes. "Of course not you idiot! We have to get out of here! And soon!"

Merlin looked taken aback by Arthur's comment and asked "WHAT? WHO ARE YOU?"

Arthur did not have time for this, he was worried about Morgana and exclaimed "I'm Arthur of course, don't be a daft idiot Merlin and shut up! We have to escape!"

"Escape and how dare you call me an idiot! Do you know who I am?" asked Merlin as he took a step forward his eyes glowing gold as he gathered his power. Then suddenly realization seemed to hit Merlin as he growled and Arthur then took a step back, "You are Arthur Pendragon of Camelot! Tell me Prince, how did you manage to escape the dungeons?"

When Arthur made no move to answer too stunned to move, Merlin screeched "Answer me!" again before Arthur was thrown off his feet and onto the nearest wall. He slumped down to the floor and it was only sheer will which forced him to look at Merlin through narrowed eyes.

"Merlin, you're not yourself, what have they done to you?' asked Arthur his eyes showing equal parts concern and anger.

Morgana burst into the room just then and looked at them both before shouting "MERLIN! What have you done to him?" as she rushed towards Arthur pulling him up and against her.

Merlin scowled at Morgana and then at Arthur saying "The son of Uther consorting with sorcerers, I wonder if your father would be disappointed Prince Arthur! But enough of that, your place here is in the dungeons of the castle!"

"MERLIN! DON'T! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?" beseeched Morgana with an utterly helpless look as Arthur moaned with every step they took towards the door which was wide open.

Merlin frowned asking "Who are you? And why are you presuming to take rights to talk to me this way?"

"Merlin, I'm Morgana! I'm your friend!"

"You'll have to forgive me my lady, I do not have a friend by that name and any ally to Uther's son is no friend of mine!"

When they were out of the Prince's rooms the guards were upon them in all directions and Morgana saw Merlin extending his hand and starting to whisper a spell and in a desperate fit of rage she made all the rocks of the ceiling crumble between them and Merlin's expression of absolute fury which was so foreign on Merlin's face was the last thing both Arthur and Morgana saw as they ran for their lives from the Banraven kingdom.

"I'm sorry father" said Merlin bending his head down in shame.

Phineas sighed but waved his hand, "We don't have any use for the Prince anyway, not in our dungeons atleast!"

"Sire?" Merlin questioned confused.

"After convening with the council today we decided it would be best for our kingdom to make peace with Uther and in extension with all the other five kingdoms in Albion."

"I see…" said Merlin not really understanding how his father got over his hatred for Uther so soon.

"I fear enough blood has been shed on both sides Merlin and if there is a way to resolve our affairs peacefully then I must do so."

"I understand father."

"You may take your leave now my son, I am sending an ambassador to Uther's kingdom tomorrow, we will know of Uther's decision before the end of the week."

Merlin nodded before he left the room swiftly, Brom and Ulric on either side of him, "What do you suppose changed your fathers mind?"

"I have no idea though I am relieved he's not on my throat for letting them escape!" said Merlin and Brom and Ulric laughed.

"Alas you defeat us all but get bested by an untrained girl!" said Brom and Merlin promptly send a stinging spell his way which made the knight yelp loudly.

Ulric then stated, "You know these alliances between kingdoms are usually cemented with a bond among the families."

"A bond?" questioned Merlin.

"Marriage" replied Brom, "Who knows maybe they'll marry you off to that girl or better yet Prince Arthur!"

Merlin scowled at his friend before saying "You shut up with your ludicrous ideas right now or I am making an enchanted poltergeist to chase after you for the rest of your life!"

Brom looked visibly shaken by this and said "Oh no, Lucius the Poltergeist is so enough for this castle! And you can't possibly do that, can you?"

Merlin chewed on his lip and contemplated for a jiffy before saying "I might, don't tempt me Brom!"

* * *

Arthur, Morgana, Gwen and the knights arrived at the castle's courtyard in two days time and blessedly they arrived at night and so they didn't have to announce their arrival to the king until morning for which they were grateful. Arthur had remained silent for the whole trip and only Gwen had been able to get him to talk atleast one word replies and get him to eat his food. As they drew nearer to Camelot Morgana's urge to flee and never turn back reached new proportions and she almost did a few times except whenever she started looking unsure Gwen would assure her that Arthur had a good heart and would not hand her over to Uther. Gaius assessed them all for injuries and listened patiently as Morgana explained what had happened in the castle.

Gaius heaved a put upon sigh as he muttered "I suspected as much, Phineas would not have wanted his own heirs loyalties divided!"

"But Gaius he was so different, he didn't even hesitate to harm us, it was almost like the Merlin we knew never existed!"

"Because he didn't, not to Merlin atleast, they must have found a way to take his memories away, like I said Phineas could not have his own sons beliefs divided!"

"What about Merlin's destiny? What happens now Gaius?" asked Morgana and Gaius frowned before saying, "I do not know, my dear"

The next day both Arthur and Morgana stood in front of the King who embraced Morgana fiercely and then gave Arthur a pat on the back before assuming his place on the throne while Morgana sat beside him with Arthur standing in front of them both. Morgana's heart was beating out of its chest when Uther asked "So are you going to tell me where you had disappeared to in the middle of the night with your knights and Morgana and why you did so?"

"Yes father, we were looking to see if the rumors were true about the Baraven kingdoms return."

"A worthy quest, however, you will not risk Morgana or your life like this again, am I understood?"

"Yes sire"

"Did you find out if the rumors were true?"

Arthur hesitated only a moment before saying "No sire, none, we returned when we found no evidence" Morgana breathed easily after that and smiled at Arthur though he did not look her way.

Uther sighed before saying "But the rumors have truth in them this time, I regret to say."

"Sire?" asked Arthur befuddled.

"Yesterday, an ambassador from the Kingdom of Banraven arrived in Camelot to inform me of the King Phineas' desires for a peace treaty through an alliance between our families."

Arthur knew what alliances between families meant and he wondered if Uther was planning on marrying Morgana off to one of the nobles in King Phineas' kingdom when Uther stated, "He has proposed that our union be cemented in marriage between you and the crown Prince of Banraven."

Arthur looked shocked, "How can there be a marriage between two men?"

Uther rolled his eyes and said "Oh don't look so outraged Arthur! Despite what the scriptures say sodomy is not evil, before I began the purge it was quite common for druids and sorcerers to engage in marriages of same sex."

Arthur shook his head left and right and from her seat Morgana shot him a sympathizing look, "But you believe sorcerers and people who practice sorcery are evil!"

Uther clenched his fists tightly and said loudly, "Yes I do and I will not have agreed to this peace talk if I didn't realize that we would surely loose our kingdom and our title if we were to wage war on them!"

Arthur took a deep breath before he asked "You have so little faith in Camelot's men?"

Uther sighed, "This is not about faith Arthur, for all these years the druids, the practitioners of the old religion and sorcerers and magical beings of every kind have waited for the coming of the Banraven Kingdom and now that they have all of these people would want revenge on our kingdom! We can fight men but not magic!"

Arthur had to accept the fact in that and distinctly heard Morgana muttering 'And whose fault is that'

"What about the matter of heirs father? Surely it would not be in both our kingdom's best interests to marry us both!"

Uther hesitated before he opened his mouth to explain and then shut it again, finally he nodded to himself and realizing the need for this to be cleared he said "It is said that powerful sorcerers can sire a child with a person of their own gender."

It took a minute for Arthur to understand and when he did he shrieked "WHAT? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE! NO FATHER, ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"I will try to talk around the whole marriage thing when King Phineas arrives but if he is insistent….it pains me that you would not do it for the sake of Camelot!"

Morgana now stood up from her throne, "You cannot offer him as a scapegoat to a magical kingdom, and he's your son! They would hate him!"

Uther nodded and his expression was pained as he said "Yes but they will not harm him for doing so means they break their sacred laws but in war there is no rule against killing him! We will not stand a chance against them in war Morgana and King Phineas is not an enemy to be taken lightly!"

Arthur cleared his throat before asking "May I be excused to my chambers your majesty?"

Uther dismissed him with a wave of his hand and then when he was sure Arthur was out of the chambers he rubbed his temples and said "I worry for him Morgana and as much as I understand Arthur's plight, I do not want him to die in a fight where he or his knights will have no chance!"

"Talk to him Morgana, god knows you're the only person he listens to now that that manservant of his is gone!"

"I'm afraid I'm the last person he wants to talk to now Uther but I'll see what I can do." Said she before asking "So about this Prince….do you know his name?"

"Yes, they call him Prince Emrys Banraven, he is apparently the most powerful sorcerer of the age."

"Naturally…" whispered Morgana and she knew it to be true, even if she had a lifetime of practice she would never be able to reach the levels of power Merlin possessed and controlled and it made her envy him just a little sometimes.

* * *

Merlin was sleeping soundly in his room when there was a sudden crash and he woke up with his hand outstretched and ball of light in his palm, with another spell the fire lit up in the hearth and then he was able to see that it was an elf who had entered his magically barricaded door and he felt annoyed for a moment before he asked "And who are you trying to trespass into the Prince's rooms in the night?"

The elf squeaked quite loudly and Merlin just refrained from clapping his hand over his ears, after a bit the elf turned and saw him and then bowed saying "It is an honor to be in your service Master Emrys!"

Merlin frowned before saying "My service?"

The elf nodded his small head and his too large ears dangled while his huge green eyes were directed towards Merlin in awe and adoration. "Indeed sire, your father has asked me to serve you until the day I die and I shall gladly do so!"

Merlin rolled his eyes; it seemed his father had forgotten to tell him about this recent development, "What was your name again?"

"Elf Pitney son to Aplomb, grandson to Estin , great grandson to…."

"That's quite enough Elf Pitney, I'm sure I don't need to hear a recital of your family tree! And I do not require your services today so…" Merlin directed his eyes to the door with a pointed look and the elf eyes boggled in sadness and it took a deep breath and backed away as though Merlin had personally hurt it's feelings which Merlin might have done after all, he didn't exactly know about elf magic specifics and all and so he exclaimed "You could help in the kitchens until I have some purpose for you."

The elf once again regained its sense of happiness and wished him a goodnight before he slinked away and out of the door.

The next day Merlin was reading some books on sorcery written by a very known and renowned sorcerer Sigan when the doors opened to admit Brom and Althalos inside, Merlin looked up from his book to see Brom out of breath and Althalos in a ruffled state when Brom said "I…I…was…only joking when I said it but it's not a joke anymore….I still think it's quite a ridiculous idea mind and I don't approve of them lording that…prince over you but really…I don't think even you have a choice in the matter anymore because the King seemed to be really firm on his decision."

Merlin bewildered and bit interested now in knowing what could have made his friend so off kilter, "What are you talking about?"

"OH!" said Brom looking towards Althalos who shrugged and then looked back at Merlin, "you mean you don't know…I thought the Queen was supposed to tell you…."

"Tell me what?" asked Merlin now being worried despite himself.

That is the precise moment Lucius the Poltergeist came into the room cackling with mad delight while announcing "Oh didn't you know young Prince! YOU ARE GETTING MARRIED! AND TO PRINCE ARTHUR OF CAMELOT NO LESS! CONGRATULATIONS!" and his hasty departure followed by cackles.

"Tell me he's joking, Brom tell me he's joking!"

"Uhmm….that would be a lie if I told you he's joking." Brom and Althalos quickly left the room as Merlin's anger reached new levels and the shelves of the libarary creaked and the walls shook with the power being directed from Merlin's being.

Finally all the shelves crumbled to dust and Merlin feeling a bit satisfied now that the majority of anger had an outlet went outside to meet his father but not before setting spells to repair the damage he had caused.

* * *

Arthur heard a knock on the door and said "Come in" half heartedly and Guninevere came in and although at some other time Arthur would have atleast favoured her with a smile this time he just sat brooding.

"Morgana asked me to talk to you."

"Figures she would, you can tell her I've not forgiven her."

"I didn't know she actually needed your forgivance."

At this comment Arthur looked up with an outraged expression but Guinevere didn't even blink when she said "She cannot be expected to apologise for something that she inherently is Arthur! We would have never escaped from King Phineas' kingdom if she hadn't done what she did!"

Arthur sighed and clenched his fists upon the table, "I'm not angry at her for possessing magic, I'm angry at her because she hid it from me and lied to me!"

"What would you have her do? How could she be sure that you wouldn't hand her over to Uther if she told you?" asked Gwen and Arthur felt wretched when he imagined this was what Guinevere thought of him.

"She's like a sister to me, I would never give her up to Uther to be executed, she must have known that!"

Gwen sighed before shaking her head, "Arthur….you didn't exactly stop Uther when he ordered to kill Gaius whose been nothing but kind to you since you were born!"

Arthur sputtered trying to find a way to defend himself, "Uther is the king, his word is law no matter what I say to persuade him otherwise!"

"I know and I'm not here to talk about that, how do you feel about this peace treaty?" asked Gwen as she fingered the back of a chair nervously.

Arthur grunted and said "How do you think? My father intends for me to marry a man! And Merlin at that though he doesn't realize that yet!"

Gwen shrugged, "Well it can't be that bad if its Merlin….atleast you know him, just imagine this prince being someone else, some powerful revengeful minded sorcerer!"

"Except that I don't, Merlin didn't recognize me or Morgana when we saw him! And for all intents and purposes he is a powerful revengeful sorcerer and he hates me!"

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know, maybe they made him forget, god knows sorcery can accomplish that if they can manage heirs between people of same gender!"

"They can?" asked Gwen and Arthur realized his mistake a moment too late and looked like a spooked mare when Gwen's glance turned sympathetic as she said "Oh Arthur….."

Arthur raised his hands and said "Gwen, I really don't want to talk about it!"

"Fine but if its any consolation it's still Merlin, he wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"The Merlin we knew wouldn't have, this Merlin though I'm not sure Gwen." Gwen stood there for a little longer before backing away and leaving the room leaving Arthur to his brooding.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter-4**

And so it was decided after a lot of screaming protests from the princes of both Kingdoms that the alliance be forged between the Pendragon's and Banraven's and Uther and Arthur stood on the castle's courtyard waiting to welcome their honored guests of the magical kingdom along with Morgana and the Knights of Camelot.

The arrival of the guests could be heard by the sounds of horses galloping on the stones and Arthur shot Morgana a weary look, through the month after they had managed to escape the dungeons of the magical kingdom and found out Merlin of all people was a prince Arthur had managed to forgive her slowly and now they were again on speaking terms.

Sooner rather than later the convoy of the Banraven knights arrived in Camelot's courtyard in their black cloaks, some of them carried staffs higher than themselves and the men who marched at the front carried what appeared to be wands, at the last of the procession stood several women dressed in red cloaks with the silver raven emblazoned on it. Morgana and some of the knights let out a gasp at the otherworldly beauty of the carriages that most probably brought the Queen and King of the Banraven kingdom; they were carried by two chestnut mares which stopped at last behind the witches.

Morgana murmured, "They allow women to be part of the Knights!" in excitement.

Arthur turned to Morgana and said "Don't go getting any ideas Morgana!"

Morgana scowled and whispered back "And why shouldn't I?" in a fierce tone.

Arthur then noticed that the Prince of the Banraven kingdom was nowhere to be found and asked "Where is he?" to Morgana which effectively distracted her as she frowned and replied "I don't know, maybe he arrived with the King and Queen?"

Arthur shook his head slightly, "No, I don't think so." And just then the crowd of Knights parted to allow the King and Queen to come through and Uther and Arthur stood stiffer and Morgana struggled to hide the look of awe at the ethereal beauty of the Queen in her gown which looked to be spun out of the purest blue silk and had precious gems embedded on it in a pattern that would put all the royal dresses Morgana owned to shame. The King of the magical kingdom was no less majestic than his Queen and Morgana quickly composed herself as she felt the raw power of their magic sweep over her senses, although they were both smiling congenially at Uther and Arthur, Morgana now understood that were they to battle against such a kingdom Camelot would surely fail.

"King Uther Pendragon, it's been a long time!" exclaimed King Phineas as he extended a hand which Uther took with outward grace that belied his inner nervousness.

"May I present my Queen, Esmeralda" he said with a sweeping gesture at his Queen who inclined her head to Uther and then her eyes went to Arthur who nodded his head quickly.

"It is a pleasure to be in Camelot again after so long a time King Uther" she said with barely concealed victory in her voice.

Uther's eyes narrowed for a minute before he swept his hand and said "My son Arthur and my ward Lady Morgana!"

The King and the Queen smirked at Arthur and Morgana who gulped uncertainly but neither the King nor the Queen told Uther of their impromptu visit to the Banraven castle.

"Emrys was unable to travel with us today because of other commitments but he will be here within this week." King Phineas explained and both Arthur and Morgana wondered why they hadn't paraded their powerful son in front of the enemy kingdom.

Uther nodded his head at that and wondered what all the suspense was about, did they think that Camelot would attempt an illicit assassination of the Prince or was there an ulterior motive behind hiding the Prince for he didn't believe King Phineas' explanation for the absence of his sole heir at Camelot for a minute.

* * *

"I just don't understand why we can't be doing this at a later time Brom!" said Merlin as he waded through the thicket of trees.

"Well atleast it means you don't have to meet your bride until then! Cheer up Merlin!"

Merlin turned towards Brom which made the slightly shorter knight come to an abrupt halt, "If you mention that one more time then gods help me I will turn you into a toad!"

Brom raised his hands up in surrender as Ulric and Althalos laughed, but muttered "Don't know what got his knickers in a twist today!"

"I heard that Brom!" shouted Merlin as he walked past them all at a brisk pace, he did not understand why he needed to go on this quest for the dragons egg hidden by the great sorceress Leleanda.

After they had walked for another two hours on foot Merlin frowned and said "I'm beginning to wonder if this Isle of the Devil's Causeway even exists!"

"Your father says it exists my Prince, then it exists and you better retrieve that egg!" said Ulric and Merlin's frown deepened as he said "It's almost as though he wants to keep me away from Camelot by giving me this impossible task! What am I to do once I retrieve the egg?"

"We are dragonlords Merlin, what do you suppose we do, summon the dragon from the egg of course!" said Brom.

"We should set up camp here for the night, there's a lake close by and it's almost evening now so there's no point in going on in the dark. Gilli, could you fix the tents for us while I take a bath in the lake?"

Gilli, the Prince's rather quiet manservant said "Yes, your majesty."

Prince Merlin nodded before setting off in the direction of the lake to take a much needed bath.

* * *

Arthur paced back and forth in his room in front of the fire which was giving Morgana a headache and made Guinevere nervous. Finally after about fifteen minutes where Morgana kept tapping her fingers on the table top and Gwen kept twisting her hands Arthur exploded "Why isn't he here?"

Morgana sighed and said "Maybe King Phineas doesn't trust in our motives, maybe they decided to keep their Prince safe until they knew they could trust us."

Arthur shook his head, "It doesn't make sense!" he turned to face Morgana then and pointed an accusing finger at her saying "You told me he is the most powerful sorcerer of the age, then why does he need protection?"

Morgana slammed her hand on the table and stood up gripping its edges tightly, "I don't know Arthur! Maybe they want to warn us not to take any familiarity with Merlin anymore!"

Arthur's eyes widened and he said "Exactly! That must be why they are here without him! They want us to pull the wool over his eyes just like they did!"

"I was only guessing! And anyway you will know their ultimatum tomorrow when the council is convened! Have patience Arthur!" berated Morgana with a slight roll of her eyes.

"You're not the one who's going to get bartered off to a magical kingdom Morgana! I know next to nothing about magic! How could father do this to me?" asked Arthur pulling at his hair in frustration.

Morgana eyes softened and she said "Oh Arthur! I'm sure Uther will find a way to talk King Phineas out of marrying you both!"

Gwen who was also chagrined to see the Prince in such a state said "This isn't the end of the world Arthur! Your stronger than you think you are and the King isn't going to give you up without a fight, he loves you!"

Arthur relaxed his posture a little after hearing that and said "I would be hated for being Uther's son in a magical kingdom, I would have no hopes of protecting myself against magic…I just hope Uther finds a way to talk King Phineas out of his marriage clause, I'll be doomed otherwise!"

Morgana laid a hand on Arthur's shoulder as he looked forlornly out of the window of his room at the castle's courtyard.

* * *

Merlin inspected the lake for a few minutes before stripping off his clothes and stepping into the chilled waters whispering a spell to make the temperature of the water a little more acceptable. He swam towards the center of the lake, his mind a mile away as the water supported his weight and made him smile. He did not understand half of what his current life entailed; being a Prince of a magical kingdom was something he had never thought off even in his dreams, when he was young Hunith whom he thought was his mother first discovered him using magic when he was two years old and had made an extra blanket appear out of nowhere in their little hut because it was the coldest winter and his flimsy blanket and fleece would not suffice to keep away the bitter cold, he had shivered for the better part of an hour before fervently wishing for another blanket and surprise of surprises another blanket had come floating through the door and settling around him gently.

He had been ecstatic and cuddled into the blanket but all of his happiness had gone away and disappeared when he saw Hunith standing above him looking at him with quiet disapproval, from then on Hunith had told him to keep his magic a secret to never be exposed in front of others. He had not understood why at first and protested and asked Hunith why he couldn't use his magic to make the dried out crops grow healthier, or collect branches from trees without having to fell them or making the fire burn a little brighter but Hunith had only patiently told him that it must be kept a secret, his magic could not be used in front of others no matter what the cost. When he was eleven his mother in all but blood had taken him to the near village for a fair, the village belonged to Camelot and it was on that day that he understood about why his mother was so insistent on him not using magic in public. At the tender age of eleven he had watched a man being dragged away by armed knights of Camelot, the crime of the man being that he practiced sorcery.

From that day onwards Merlin had felt suppressed and angry at Camelot's King for punishing a talent that was no different than wielding a sword or learning archery. All the years he led a caged life he never thought he could one day use his magic as freely as breathing air and he loved the freedom of it, the sheer power of the magic accumulating in his fingertips always serving him whenever he called forth his power, the wells of knowledge in the Banraven kingdom's library and surprisingly he came to love his real parents as well. His mother and Queen was one of the kindest souls he had ever met and he could see why his mother had chosen Hunith as his guardian and nursemaid and although he was sad and angry that he couldn't have had the freedom to use magic as he pleased all through his life he was elated that he could live a free life now.

What he didn't understand though was why Hunith had sent him to Camelot even after knowing magic was persecuted in Uther's kingdom, the details all felt blurred in his mind and he had been told by his father that he was an assistant to Camelot's court physician for a while. Though he knew that his parents were hiding something from him he didn't feel the need to pry for more information on the details of his life in Camelot which he had forgotten because of an injury to his head. Mentioning Camelot or Uther only made his parents aggrieved and he did not want to be the source of their pain so he let it rest. He wondered what Hunith was doing now in Ealdor and made a vow to himself to visit her as soon as he could get away from his Princely duties.

As he was lost in his thoughts Merlin failed to notice the other magical presence close to him as he drifted in the waters and only opened his eyes when he felt a tingle run up his arms, by then the creature was too close to him and he turned only to see the most beautiful women his eyes had ever beheld floating close to him. She had pale skin and beautiful ruby red lips and her upper body was covered with glimmering scales like that of a fish, her wild dark hair hung about her shoulders framing her face in ringlets.

Merlin moved away from the beautiful creature and asked "Who are you?"

The lady or creature Merlin had no idea which batted her eyelashes slowly before saying "People call me the lady of the lake but my name is Freya."

Merlin opened and closed his mouth trying and failing to form words before he rasped "I'm Merlin"

Freya smiled and tilted her head sideways before saying "I know who you are Prince Emrys"

Merlin smiled back and then swam farther away from Freya as he asked "What are you?"

"I am a mermaid, it is a great honor to have met you Prince Emrys!" said Freya moving closer to the Prince.

Merlin didn't know what it was that bothered him about the mermaid's closeness but he felt that something was off about this beautiful creature and his instincts always served him right so he tried to move away but before he could the mermaid caught his arm in hers and said in a lilting voice "Would you bestow a gift on me Prince Emrys?"

Merlin was hearing alarm bells ringing in his head now but he asked "What gift Lady Freya?" anyway and subtly attempted to move his arm from the mermaids hold although he could have easily thrown her off with his magic.

"Such power you possess Emrys, such power…and yet.." said Freya and Merlin had only a minute to blink before her eyes glowed an unnatural shade of blue and then Merlin could only see her, his instincts that screamed danger a minute ago vanished to be replaced with an unbearable longing for the beautiful mermaid who held his arm captive in her nimble hands. "So vulnerable…" finished Freya before she brought her lips on Merlin's and Merlin moaned loudly as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to him. Freya kissed him for a while before she heard the Prince's comrades arrive and she quickly made her way inside the lake and out of sight leaving the Prince in a slight daze as she worked her charms into him.

Brom shouted "Merlin! Enough of lazing about in the water! Your father has sent a message!"

Merlin who was slightly confused called out "I'm coming" to Brom before he shook his head wondering about what he was missing.

* * *

Arthur was having a hard time not fidgeting in his seat in nervousness as King Phineas and Uther's royal advisors took their place at the council chambers, both the Kings were yet to arrive and Morgana sat next to Arthur for which Arthur was grateful though he would never admit it out loud. To be honest, the magical people of Phineas' court frightened him as they were all glaring at him and Morgana with slightly veiled threatening looks and open hostility in some cases.

Finally, both the Kings and Queen Esmeralda arrived at the council chambers and all of Uther's advisors and King Phineas' advisors stood up in reverence before the King's took their place and gestured for them all to sit down.

King Phineas began with no further ado, "I wish to say it gives me great pleasure to visit Camelot but you have not made it so King Uther" Uther narrowed his eyes but said nothing as King Phineas continued, "You have killed sorcerers cruelly for two decades and forced us to flee our lands."

Queen Esmeralda had a neutral expression on her face as she stared at Uther, but the council members of King Phineas' court were barely restraining themselves from shouting out their outrage. "Know that our army has only strengthened in the last two decades despite your campaign to annihilate all sorcerers and eradicate magic! We are stronger in both numbers and skills and if a war were to break between us I do not have to tell you how weak your mortal defenses will be against our magic."

"However, I wish no more bloodshed upon my people and hence I want both our kingdoms to exist in peace….if you agree to our terms, there will be no war!"

"And what are these terms?" asked Uther in a calm tone despite the fury he was feeling at the audacity of another King to insult him in his own kingdom.

King Phineas gestured to his council and the most old of them all who had a flowing white beard and white hair said "We want magic brought back into the realm; you will have to swear on an oath that is binding that you will not execute innocent sorcerers in your kingdom."

That was a reasonable enough demand, thought Arthur but his father's councilmen were already frowning and his father didn't look pleased either.

Another councilman of the Banraven kingdom raised his voice saying "You will have to stop hunting druid camps and let the druid people live in peace."

Arthur swallowed thinking of the many many druid camps his father had had his men chase like animals and hunted them down and thought this was a reasonable demand as well.

"If you do execute a sorcerer without a fair trial and a court sorcerer to preside over the trial the treaty will be considered null and there will be war!" said another advisor his eyes cold with hatred as he stared at Uther.

Uther nodded to their demands despite the protests from some of Uther's royal advisors and said "The practice of magic will still be banned in Camelot and any who wish to practice sorcery will do it outside my kingdom. If anyone is found practicing sorcery in Camelot they will be banished."

King Phineas arched an eyebrow at that but said nothing. It went on back and forth between Uther and Phineas' coucilmen and Arthur was almost bored at the prospect of sitting there and listening to them fight but was glad that the King made no mention about marriage or anything of the sort. Just when he was about to decide that he wasn't doomed to live in a kingdom where everyone would hate him and felt comfortable enough to drift off King Phineas made his final demands.

"Now that the matter has been settled, I wish to unite both our Kingdoms with a marriage between Prince Arthur and Prince Emrys in the hopes that our union may last and bring forward a new age of peace and prosperity."

Arthur gulped and Morgana shot Uther a glare which made him take a sip of his wine as he said "Is that really necessary King Phineas, after all it doesn't bode well for the name of our kingdoms in marrying two men!"

King Phineas and his advisors laughed while the Queen smiled and held a napkin to her chin, "Come now Uther, marriages between the same genders is a common practice among our kind! And if you are worried about the matter of heirs I am sure a sorcerer as powerful as Emrys will be able to sire a child with your son!"

Arthur blushed at the implications despite himself and Morgana threw him a worried look while Uther said "I will consider the matter."

King Phineas nodded congenially before saying "And the last of our demands but not the least, we want you to free Kilgarrah, the great dragon whom you've kept prisoner."

Uther scowled openly at that and another long argument broke out about what the dragon would do to Camelot if it were released. Finally it was decided that the dragon would be set free if the people of the Banraven kingdom could keep it from harming Camelot.

At long last Uther ended the meeting saying that the other matters of the peace treaty will be discussed tomorrow and all the advisors left the council chambers one by one while the Kings remained along with the Queen, Morgana and Arthur.

"You must be wondering why Prince Emrys isn't here King Uther…" said Queen Esmeralda, "It is because we did not want him to be here for this meeting."

Queen Esmeralda and King Phineas shared a look between them before saying "It is because Prince Emrys was once a resident of Camelot, a resident I assume you would have known quite well considering he was Prince Arthur's manservant!"

Uther looked shocked and outraged before he said "You sent your son to spy on Camelot?" with barely restrained fury.

King Phineas growled at that before he spat, "Like I would have ever wanted my son near the likes of Camelot, Prince Merlin was sent here by someone who had failed us and betrayed our trust."

Queen Esmeralda continued, "Because you made us part with him while he was just a baby! You cannot begin to understand the pain I have went through to be away from him for so long and let another women take my place!" The Queens voice was filled with bitterness as she said this and Arthur took a deep breath wondering just why they wanted him to marry Merlin if they hated Uther so much.

"Merlin? Arthur's manservant? How dare you ask that I marry my son off to a peasant!" raged Uther standing up.

"My son is no peasant! He is the greatest sorcerer of the age and millions would consider it an honor to be married to him! He will be the greatest King Albion has ever known!" said King Phineas in an equally outraged tone. Uther shut his eyes for a minute at hearing the prophecy again after so long a time.

"I will not marry my son off to him! Not after I know this!" said Uther in a tone that said no further arguments will be entertained.

King Phineas inclined his head and smirked at Uther saying "I am afraid you are not in any position to make the rules Uther."

And then in a tone of finality he said "There will be war if your son does not marry mine Uther" he gave Arthur a significant look before saying "There will be no compromise on this rule and you, Prince Arthur and her ladyship will swear an oath of secrecy to not reveal to Merlin the true nature of his work in Camelot!"

King Phineas waved his hand and the doors of the council chamber opened, "Make a wise decision Uther, I am a merciful King but if there is war between our kingdoms it will be won with ruthlessness on our side."

With those parting words King Phineas swept out of the room with his Queen in tow behind him and as soon as they were out of earshot Uther slammed his fists on the table and pushed the wine goblet and a plate of fruits away in anger and said "Leave me!" and Arthur and Morgana knew better than to argue with him while he was in this mood.

King Phineas and Queen Esmeralda stood in front of the great dragon, it had taken some magic to get them this far but it was a shame how little parlor tricks could get them into Uther's dungeons so easily, it only proved that their defense against magic was next to none. "Kilgarrah, you know why we seek you!"

"I do King Phineas but I beg that you not be angry with me! I never thought I would see you return to the realm until my passing!" Kilgarrah said bowing low.

"Yet here we are and imagine our surprise when we found our son working for the Prince of Camelot and believing he has a destiny to protect Arthur Pendragon, a destiny which  _you_  foretold Merlin."

"I sought only to bring magic and justice back to Albion my King, Arthur and Merlin's destinies lay with one another!"

"The prophecy told us that Prince Merlin would unite all of Albion and bring magic back to the realm! What changed?" asked Queen Esmeralda.

"That was Emrys' destiny before you left the realm without him, when it was unsure if you would return the seers saw a new destiny, one that told of Arthur being the once and future King with Merlin by his side."

"We have returned now, there is no reason for that destiny to take place, Merlin will be the rightful king of Albion!" proclaimed Phineas.

"Be that as it may, Merlin will need Arthur to fulfill his destiny, they were fated to be each others half even before they were born! And you realize this King Phineas."

King Phineas let out a sigh before he nodded and said "I do although I do not understand what a person with no magical skill whatsoever could be of importance to Merlin's destiny!"

"Only time will tell, I suppose!" said the great Dragon and the King nodded solemnly before saying "It is the one of the reasons for my agreeing to a peace treaty with Uther."

"I am doomed Morgana, there is no way out of this!" said Arthur as he slumped down in his chair glaring balefully at the carpet.

"Well, we could war with them! I'm sure they aren't as powerful as they say they are if they fled the realm during the great purge!"

"You don't really believe that, do you Morgana?"

Morgana pursed her lips before saying "No, I felt…their power…it is too great!"

"I maybe the best warrior in all of Albion but I am still useless against magic! I cannot let people of Camelot die when there is another way for this to come to an end without a war!"

"Arthur, you're not thinking of agreeing to King Phineas' terms! You have a right to decide whom you marry!"

"I cannot let my men die in vain Morgana, I cannot! It's my duty to protect them!"

"Besides its only Merlin, no matter how powerful he is he's still Merlin, how bad could it be?"

Morgana considered this for a moment before she said "I wouldn't be so sure about that, he looked ready to blast us into smitherness when we escaped from the castle guards, I've never seen him look so hostile and angry!"

"Yes but if we are married he would be honor bound not to harm me! Though what I don't understand is why King Phineas is so insistent on our union! Merlin could marry anyone with more power with skills in sorcery!"

"Maybe we should ask the dragon! He might be able to tell us what their motives for marrying you both are!"

"The dragons loyalty is to them Morgana, we can't trust anything the overgrown lizard spouts!"

"If its any comfort I think I will be joining you in the Banraven Kingdom if you do get married to Merlin."

"Please tell me you're not thinking of being one of those sorceress knights!"

Morgana rolled her eyes before saying "No, as much as I'd like that, I want to develop and control my seeing abilities so I don't wake up from nightmares all the time!"

Arthur's eyes softened and they spent the rest of the evening talking quietly until it was time for them to retire to bed.

 


	5. Chapter - 5

**Chapter-5**

At long last Prince Merlin of Banraven kingdom arrived at the courtyard of Camelot's castle with a group of Knights surrounding him. Arthur gasped despite himself as he saw the powerful figure Merlin cut at the center of them all, dressed in a dark blue cloak that hid everything except his equally dark charcoal trousers and his head which was adorned with a crown.

Uther was scowling openly at Merlin and Morgana and Arthur were still getting used to the idea of Merlin being a prince, sure they had the knowledge that Merlin was who he was now but seeing him wearing a crown and walking so gracefully unlike his usual clumsy self made them realize just how real this was.

King Phineas gave Uther a warning look and then walked forward to greet his son with his hands outstretched and hugging the young prince tightly before saying, "Ah Emrys, I hope my message reached you."

Merlin returned the hug and said "Yes father, though I still don't understand why you sent me on that pointless quest!"

King Phineas chuckled before saying quietly so only Merlin could hear "This is Camelot my son, we couldn't be too sure of their motives for agreeing to let us into their kingdom." He then smirked at Merlin and said "Not that they would be able to do anything of course!"

Merlin inclined his head and smiled in acknowledgement of the truth before Phineas said "Come on, let's not keep Uther waiting any longer" as Merlin's eyes darkened at the mention of Uther's name.

"King Uther, may I present my only son and heir to the throne Prince Emrys"

Uther's scowl remained but he acknowledged Merlin with a nod, Merlin bowed saying "Your Highness" and the cold politeness of the tone of his voice made Arthur, Morgana and even Uther surprised, it would seem that King Phineas had managed to train his once useless manservant into something of a proper royal lord.

Uther then turned to both Arthur and Morgana and introduced them to the young Prince who smirked slightly at Arthur and then bend down to kiss Morgana's hand saying "It's a pleasure to meet you my lady." Arthur scowled and Morgana eyed him out of the corner of his eye before saying "Oh the pleasure is all mine Prince Emrys."

Arthur was then left with Merlin to show him to his chambers as the Kings departed together and Morgana went on her own way. Merlin followed Arthur looking at the castle's interior and trying and failing to hide his fascination, Arthur observed him closely and was glad that atleast the old childish, naïve Merlin was still in there somewhere though he hid it exceptionally well and Arthur wouldn't have noticed the excitement in Merlin's eyes if he had not known his servant for so long though Arthur was surprised that Merlin was so quiet as they walked through the halls of the castle, usually he was used to Merlin talking his ears off so he started the conversation asking "So Prince Merlin, how do you like Camelot so far?"

Merlin looked surprised for only a minute before answering "I find it to be a wealthy and strong nation" in the same tone of bored civility he had greeted Uther with.

Arthur before he could stop himself blurted out, "I used to know you once, while you worked here…"

That got Merlin's attention and he pursed his lips before asking "How so? I do not remember anything of my days in Camelot but father told me I used to be Physician's apprentice."

"Yes, you were and you used to deliver Gaius' medicines to his patients and sometimes me." Arthur looked closely at Merlin willing him to remember anything, just a shred of recognition from his past manservant would have been a blessing but Merlin's eyes remained carefully confused and Arthur gave it up for now.

"Interesting, though I suppose I kept my magic hidden otherwise your King would have had me executed." Merlin's tone was sharp and his eyes were alight with an unknown emotion when Arthur looked at them to gauge Merlin's feelings but his own anger prevented him from identifying it as Arthur remembered Merlin's betrayal once more.

Arthur gritted his teeth and finally they arrived at Merlin's chambers and he said a terse goodbye to Merlin announcing that there would be a servant to collect him for dinner before he walked away to his own chambers.

Morgana was already inside his chambers when he got in and he groaned and said "Not now Morgana!"

Morgana looked mock indignified and said "I didn't even ask anything…' pausing and then said "yet"

Arthur rolled his eyes and slumped into his chair resting his hands on the table.

"So how did the meeting with the Prince go?"

Arthur sighed and said "This is only my chambers Morgana, you can call the idiot by his name here!"

"Arthur, he is a Prince now and it would do you well to reconsider before calling him anything insulting, he is the most powerful sorcerer of the age!"

Arthur laughed disbelievingly at Morgana who continued to look solemn and his laughs dissolved into a look of utter confusion as he said "It's Merlin! He wouldn't harm me just because I called him names Morgana!"

Morgana rolled her jade eyes and said "The last time you called him an idiot, he threw you against a wall."

Arthur sighed remembering the day that where he'd been almost scared of Merlin, "I won't insult him to his face Morgana, so stop worrying."

Morgana huffed, "I'm not worrying, I just want you to understand just how dangerous he could be if he chose to."

Arthur gave a bitter laugh, "Trust me Morgana, you don't need to warn me against sorcerers, after all I have them trying to kill me all the time."

' _But none as powerful as Merlin'_ Morgana thought but didn't say so as she asked "Did you talk to him?"

Arthur nodded and Morgana waited and waited and when Arthur wouldn't say anything she asked "And?"

"And nothing, he remembers nothing of being here in Camelot and he's trying to be this refined and reserved person like one of the stuck up royals we get to meet on a regular basis."

"That's probably because he must have been warned off you by his father, and his hatred for Uther is probably extended to you too when he lost his memories."

"I cannot believe this is happening Morgana, it all seems so surreal, like everything I've ever known...everything I've been taught to believe doesn't make sense anymore."

Morgana understood Arthur's predicament, she had been in the same place when she'd found out about her magic and if Merlin hadn't been there for her to guide her heaven knew that she would have been lost.

* * *

The council meetings continued and soon it had been two weeks since the arrival of King Phineas, Arthur had scarcely seen Merlin in the time he was in Camelot, he wondered what Merlin did now since he didn't have to be at Arthur's beck and call, which made him remember that Merlin was a Prince now and if his observations were right it seemed King Phineas expected much out of his heir just like Uther did of Arthur and Merlin must probably be occupied with princely duties and matters of state. He took to training the knights until he was so exhausted he would go to sleep immediately as his head hit the pillow. As the days passed he was sick of King Phineas' smug smirk, Uther's guilt whenever he looked upon Arthur, Morgana's worried eyes following him, Gwen's nervousness around him and most of all by Merlin's absolute indifference to Arthur's presence whenever they were in the same room together.

It was what startled him when someone entered his room without knocking and he looked up from unlacing his boots and raised a surprised eyebrow when he saw that it was Merlin standing inside his room leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He had abandoned the cloak he wore to formal banquets and looked like a vision in his dark grey trousers and a burgundy shirt. Arthur had no idea when he started noticing all those small insignificant details about Merlin's appearance and thought that it was about the time he knew about the impending marriage clause of King Phineas. He could now admit that atleast where appearances were concerned Merlin was not too bad a choice to get stuck with for his entire life.

"Prince Merlin, I'm surprised to see you here" said Arthur as Merlin seemed to be in no hurry to say anything.

"And why is that Prince Arthur?" asked Merlin his stance now slightly less certain.

Arthur tugged off his boots and threw them aside before his lips quirked up in a smile and he said "Well you seem to be keen on escaping my presence whenever we have to see each other; I figured you wouldn't want to come here willingly without a good reason."

Merlin nodded and said "My father wants me to marry you, he has asked that I make an official proposal at tomorrow nights banquet when the peace treaty is finalized."

Arthur now looked as unsure as Merlin felt and raked his hands through his hair as he stood up, "You have objections about your father's decision?"

Merlin laughed utterly humorless as he said "Of course I have objections, but my father will not be persuaded otherwise. He believes it is essential that I marry you for peace to last between our Kingdoms."

"Then why are you here in my chambers?" asked Arthur barely maintaining his composure as he was seething inside at the injustice of it all. He was the Prince, the sole heir of Camelot, he was meant to be King not bargained off to another Kingdom as a peace offering.

"I thought it would have been obvious, I am here to ask why you haven't objected to marrying me..."

Arthur was the one whose laugh turned bitter now as he said "I am not exactly in the position to refuse to any of your father's unreasonable demands, am I?"

Merlin lifted his chin in defiance, "My father does not make unreasonable demands, and your King has executed our kind for twenty years, if anything my father is being merciful!"

"Merciful? You call this sham of council meetings day in and day out as your father's demonstration of mercy? You're more stupider than you look if you think that about your father when he's nothing but a vainglorious man forcing our hand when he ran away hiding years ago instead of facing us in battle!" Arthur said advancing on Merlin yet not getting too close.

Merlin was furious beyond belief with the arrogant prince and said "Shut up!"

But Arthur was just too frustrated and he had already been itching for a fight for weeks that he failed to notice the change in Merlin's demeanor as he continued, "Your father did not do the honorable thing when he ran away! He's a coward!" Arthur's chest heaved as he took a deep breath and only then noticed the precarious shaking of all the furniture in the room and he turned to look at Merlin's glowing golden eyes, his lips twisted in anger as he heard the vase at the top of his table crack and spray shards all over the floor.

Arthur backed away from Merlin before asking "What…what are you doing Merlin? Stop it! Stop it this instant!"

The light scones in the room glowed brighter as Merlin smirked and asked "Are you scared Arthur?"

Arthur felt a tremble go through his spine at the dark fury in Merlin's eyes and refused to answer Merlin's question as he said "Magic is banned in Camelot! I demand that you stop doing sorcery now!"

Merlin moved forward with his chin resting on his hands as if in contemplation before he asked "And what are you going to do about it my Prince? Are you going to call your guards?" Merlin took a step forward as Arthur reflectively moved back, the firelight in the room gave an eerie look to Merlin's golden eyes as he continued moving forward, "Are you going to throw me in the dungeons? Watch me burn at the stake?"

Arthur now had his back against the bed post but Merlin raised his hands and he flew backwards and onto the bed, he tried to get up immediately but he found that he couldn't move and tried not to give into panic as he saw Merlin smirk devilishly above him before he climbed upon the bed and on top of Arthur who was still paralyzed and unable to move anything except his eyes. Merlin grabbed Arthur's shoulders and squeezed painfully before he brought his eyes back to Arthur who was looking at him defiantly though he was terrified of Merlin's power and how utterly helpless he was. Merlin then bent down and kissed Arthur's lips and Arthur's eyes widened in shocked amazement as he felt the feeling return to his lips and felt the slide of Merlin's soft, warm and wet lips over his own which made a pleasant tingling sensation arise in his belly and made him burst in goose flesh.

Merlin assaulted his lips without mercy, he bit and sucked and licked at Arthur's lips until a guttural moan escaped Arthur's lips unbidden and Merlin broke the kiss to run his fingers teasingly against the seam of Arthur's lips the look in his glowing eyes was intense and consuming and Arthur wished he could look away, then Merlin returned his attentions to Arthur's earlobes sucking on them before whispering "You call me stupid young prince and yet out of the two of us you are the one who is astoundingly stupid, you call my father a coward and yet every sorcerer your father sentences to death, every murder you commit with the excuse that sorcery is evil when the truth is that you cannot understand magic and you fear it, both you and your father, you fear magic, you fear its powers."

"So yes my father is being a merciful King in granting you this treaty, when my people would gladly see Camelot brought to its knees along with Uther for what a murdering, tyrannical bastard he is!"

Arthur gritted his teeth wanting to punch Merlin's face in and make him hurt but unable to move, "And I warn you, if you ever speak to me about my King and father in a disrespectful manner again, you will pay for it." Merlin promised darkly in Arthur's ears before he got off of Arthur and brazenly said "I will meet you tomorrow my Prince" and walked out of the room before pausing in the doorway, "the spell should wear off in an hour or so, I trust you're not stupid enough to speak of our confrontation to anyone."

Merlin walked to his chambers at a dignified pace though all he wanted to do was run to his chambers, lock the door and bring himself off. From the moment he had set eyes on the young prince he had been intrigued, he was spoilt and arrogant and yet noble and kind. He had avoided the prince to stop contemplating about him but had been unable to totally avoid thoughts of the blond haired prince throughout his days in Camelot.

He had never intended for something like what happened to happen in the Prince's chambers but he had been so angry and so frustrated about not using his magic nearly as frequently as before to avoid causing a scene in Camelot on top of his father demanding that he marry the spoilt Prince of Camelot, he had raged, screamed and even begged but his father would not rescind his demands. So when Arthur had been there so close to him and so defiant he had pounced and now that it was over he felt quite embarrassed about his behavior thought that didn't stop him from stroking his prick with the image of Arthur's blond hair and the prince's moans of pleasure which still echoed inside his ears.

When he was finished he thought that if he were being forced to marry atleast it was not to someone he found totally repulsive. No he found the sun kissed prince of Camelot quite handsome indeed.

 


	6. Chapter - 6

CHAPTER -6

Arthur felt shaken and ashamed when he was released from the spell after what seemed like an eternity had passed, in the time he was bound against the bed with nothing to do but stare at the ceiling his anger had cooled and he had thought upon Merlin's words and despite his valiant attempts to not think of it the kiss kept replaying in his mind over and over again, Arthur was a warrior by blood, being under Uther's demanding presence he had made sure that he was the best fighter in all of Albion, being under someone else's power, bound and unable to do anything gave him an all new prospect of sorcery and people who practiced it. He had been kissed before, by noble women who visited the court, by passing maids, by tavern wenches but all those had never been as passionate and brutal with him being unable to do anything but lie there and take it, he was always in charge of his own life and to not be in control for once was supposed to leave him feeling disturbed but somehow, someway he had liked Merlin's kiss and that left him reeling more than anything.

He slowly started to realize that Morgana's words may have some truth in them after all,  _'he is the most powerful sorcerer of the age'_  her voice rang in his head as he stretched his sore muscles which had been stuck in the same position for far too long. What left him most unbalanced was the fact that sweet, bumbling, innocent Merlin could be so ruthless with the power he possessed. Arthur simply could not believe that Merlin could have been all that innocent in the first place, he idly wondered just how many times Merlin had saved his life, how many life's he had taken with his power for Arthur, it made him shudder as he realized that Merlin must have made tough decisions and Arthur had been oblivious to it all because he couldn't ever associate Merlin with power.

But now after having a first hand experience of Merlin's power Arthur realized he could be in real danger if he did not mind his words and actions in front of the Banraven's. Arthur knew Merlin wasn't as cruel to hurt someone without good reason but he could make Arthur's life miserable and hard, and King Phineas didn't strike him as a man who had any qualms with being cruel, after all he had all but erased Merlin's identity and made him into a new man almost unrecognizable from the old one.

Morgana suddenly entered his room without knocking and Arthur threw her a sour look before turning away, "What do you want Morgana?"

Morgana frowned before saying "Uther wants to speak with you! Arthur I think this is about the marriage! You should tell Uther than you will not do it!"

Arthur sighed before getting up and out of his bed where he'd been reclining, "I can't Morgana, you know what is at stake here!"

Morgana sighed before saying "I wish that were not true, I really do Arthur, even you don't deserve this fate."

Arthur accepted Morgana's silent presence by his side as comfort while he stood in front of Uther. His father looked worse for wear and he did not meet Arthur's eyes as he said "I have spoken to King Phineas about dropping the marriage clause Arthur but he will not be swayed."

Arthur nodded his head before saying "I understand sire" solemnly, Arthur knew Uther would have tried to the best of his ability to persuade the Banraven king otherwise.

Uther sighed before he stood up from his seat and came closer to Arthur giving his shoulder a squeeze before saying "You cannot imagine how sorry I am for having to ask you to do this my son."

Arthur looked up in surprise at that, Uther rarely ever apologized to Arthur especially about Arthur's duties to Camelot. Arthur could not face the guilt in his father's eyes and directed his eyes elsewhere as he said "I will marry Prince Merlin father, it's my duty to Camelot."

Uther squeezed his shoulders again and Morgana who had been quiet for so long let out an audible sigh. "King Phineas wanted you both to be married within the month but I managed to persuade him to wait for a period of six months, you will be engaged in tomorrow night's banquet of course but the marriage can wait until later."

"Thankyou father!" Arthur said with relief in his voice.

Uther waved his hand to show it did not matter before he continued, "The Banraven's will be leaving Camelot after the engagement but Phineas wants for a retinue of Camelot to visit his kingdom, you will lead the retinue of Camelot's knights and servants, you may come back after a month or so, King Phineas and the prince has promised me Camelot's soldiers will be treated fairly in their land."

"I will go with Arthur and the knights." Morgana interrupted which caused them both to look at her, Uther with a surprised eyebrow and Arthur with a grateful expression.

"It could be dangerous for you Morgana, I am not willing to trust two of my wards with people who practice sorcery, letting Arthur go is hard enough!"

"It would be less dangerous than it is for Arthur and I am tired of staying in Camelot for so long, we haven't visited another kingdom in ages!"

Uther frowned but when Morgana looked at him with imploring eyes he said "I will consider it" which made Morgana smile and Uther frown harder.

* * *

King Phineas stood amongst his council members Queen Esme as she was lovingly called by the people by his side as he announced, "Tonight we are here to celebrate the dawn of a new age of prosperity and peace, the light of a new age and the beginning of a golden era where Camelot and Banraven kingdom will be united in the most noble of all unions! Marriage between my son Emrys and Prince Arthur!"

Everyone cheered although some of the members of Camelot's court eyed King Uther with barely veiled disapproval. Gwaine, Elyan, Leon, Lancelot and Gwen were all directing Arthur various looks of sympathy while Brom and Ulric who were Merlin's closest knights threw Merlin an uneasy look. Morgana had a frown ever etched on her face showing her displeasure for the proceedings openly to anyone who cared to look at her.

Arthur stood and moved around the table to stand in front of it by his fathers side while Merlin did the same along with King Phineas. Arthur scowled when Merlin had the audacity to smirk at him for a moment before he stepped forward turning to his side to fetch a box which a servant had brought, he opened it to reveal a diamond encrusted ring with the Banraven's insignia etched on the inside and some other script Arthur couldn't decipher and Arthur stepped forward as well as Merlin said "I hope you will accept my proposal of marriage Prince Arthur."

The short but to the point request which was not really a request made Arthur want to moan about how unfair his life was in front of all the important delegates of Camelot and Banraven kingdom but all that came out of his mouth was, "I accept Prince Merlin."

Merlin took Arthur's left hand and slid the ring on to his finger, Arthur felt a tingling sensation where the ring touched his fingers and gave it a curious look to see it glowing golden, he gave Merlin a pointed look to which the prince only shrugged before he stepped back and Arthur heard King Phineas cheering in the background for the feast to begin.

Morgana sat next to Arthur at the feast and began to converse quietly with him, "How are you feeling?"

Arthur snorted before saying, "How do you think?"

"Well, if its any consolation Merlin doesn't seem to be too happy either."

Arthur licked his lips and looked at Merlin who was sat close to the Queen, "He disagrees with his father on the marriage clause as well Morgana, so I'd hardly expect him to be exuberant!"

Morgana gave him a contemplative look before she asked "How do you know that?"

It was then that Arthur remembered he had not had time to tell Morgana of the incident in his chambers last night and he flushed before saying "He came to my chambers last night and told me straight out how displeased he was about the situation."

Morgana didn't look placated by his answer and he waited with bated breath before Morgana said "That's strange, he's been avoiding you like the plague ever since he came here...thats not all what happened though, is it Arthur?"

Arthur took a large gulp of his wine and tried to surreptiously hide the fact that he was blushing by bringing his goblet to the side of his face.

"What did you do Arthur? Did he do something to you? I told you to be careful with him!" Morgana berated and then with a no nonsense tone demanded, "Tell me everything! Now!"

And Arthur quietly relegated the events of last night to her making particular emphasis on his indignation and telling Morgana that Merlin was a brute who did not know propriety and how to treat a prince and his future husband. Morgana was stifling giggles by the time he was finished, "Well, atleast you don't find each other totally repulsive, that's something atleast!"

Arthur scowled and turned to a servant for more wine as he saw Merlin laughing at some joke one of his knights said at the opposite table and the Queen gently chastised them both. Arthur wished he had a mother, he was almost jealous of Merlin, he had two mothers, both equally caring and protective of him and started to wonder what had happened to Hunith.

* * *

"Lady Freya, it's been a long time."

"Ambrosius" Freya intoned from the water, "Indeed it has been a long time."

"I trust you met the Prince!"

Freya smirked and said "Yes I did, and I have enchanted him, he will do as I ask when the time comes!"

Ambrosius gave her a smile in return, "We must act fast, the Prince of Camelot cannot be allowed to marry Prince Emrys! Uther cannot be forgiven for his crimes against sorcery!"

Freya nodded her head and disappeared below the water again.

"I will be expecting you in our court soon Lady Freya" said Ambrosius to which Freya laughed before saying "Oh, you certainly will Master Ambrosius!"

* * *

"Happy to be returning home Emrys?" asked the Queen as she entered Merlin's chambers in Camelot to find him packing for the return journey.

"Couldn't be happier" said Emrys turning to give the Queen a bright smile, he really was relieved to be heading back home, he couldn't imagine having to go on without practicing his magic for so long, it was itching to be released out of his skin.

The Queen smiled and took her son's arm in hers as she said "Emrys, I know your father forced this marriage on you but he would not have done so were it not necessary, I do not expect you to understand now but you will when the time comes! I only ask that you treat Camelot's retinue and the Prince with respect."

Merlin smiled unflappably at her before saying "Of course I will, mother."

The Queen looked skeptical however and said "I know you and the Prince are not on the best terms Emrys! And you should observe propriety in your relationships with the Prince though he is your fiance, it does not do for you to be seen entering your betrothed's bedchambers in the middle of the night!"

Merlin blushed bright red upto the tips of his ears but his mother only ruffled his hair fondly before she swept away with a "Be in the courtyard soon, we have a long journey ahead of us."


	7. Chapter - 7

King Phineas and his Queen had departed first in their carriage with a group of Knights while Prince Merlin was set to arrive with Camelot's retinue so as to prevent any mishaps on the journey to the magical lands.

Arthur lifted Morgana on to her horse arranging her cloak before he mounted his own horse scowling as he saw Merlin smiling and joking with his knights, it used to be Arthur whom Merlin bantered and laughed with and being the only one remembering what they were to each other made Arthur sour and sad for what he had lost at the same time.

In his single minded glaring Arthur hadn't noticed Gwaine who'd snuck up on him and as a result he was startled when Gwaine teased "Don't tell me you're already jealous Princess!"

Arthur turned to Gwaine and glared but Gwaine only chuckled and Arthur snapped "Just mind your business Gwaine."

Morgana lead her horse forward as Merlin and his knights started to ride away to Banraven and Arthur followed closely, he'd always relied upon Morgana even in his younger age and now being close to her made him feel a lot less lonely for they always protected each other and he could trust Morgana to defend him if someone raised any accusations against him or showed him their ill will which they kept artfully concealed.

They rode quietly for the better part of an hour before the Knights got bored with the lack of any action and started to talk and as it was always inevitable the topic of love interests was broached and Arthur listened a bit curious to know about his men's love affairs despite himself as it afforded a familiarity of listening to the mundane happenings of Camelot which was comforting, "Big bad Percy's got it bad for Mathilda!" said Gwaine and Arthur heard all the other knights laughing in chorus as Percival blushed.

"You're one to talk, everyone knows about your crush on Guinevere!" exclaimed Percival and both Arthur and Lancelot turned to Gwaine, Arthur with an amused tilt of his eyebrow and Lancelot with an accusing stare, Gwaine put his hands up in surrender.

"Gwen is a beautiful lady! But I know she's taken!" he directed the last comment to Lancelot who seemed appeased after that.

"However I have to say that Lady Morgana, you are the fairest of them all" said Gwaine with an elaborate bow keeping hold of his reins with one hand as Morgana smirked.

"Trying your charms on me now Gwaine? Have you exhausted yourself through the tavern wenches at long last?" asked Morgana and Gwaine gave her a mock wounded look while Arthur spluttered indignantly barking "Morgana, don't be so uncouth, it's unladylike."

Morgana huffed rebuking, "Don't be such a delicate petal Arthur!"

Gwaine joined in as the other knights laughed in the background saying "Oh yes! You should listen to lady Morgana if you have any hopes at all of seducing the greatest sorcerer of the age."

"Oh he's hardly going to be the one who's going to be the seducer; he's more likely to be the seducee" said Morgana and all the knights stopped laughing to give it a moment's thought and throwing a contemplative look at Arthur who was blushing bright red and Morgana closed her mouth wondering how angry Arthur was going to be with her for revealing such a thing.

"Oh my, its true, isn't it?" asked Gwaine his interest having been sparked as all the knights looked on in various degree's of attention.

Arthur was quick to deny "No, it's not."

Gwaine refused to be swayed though and all the others were also looking at Arthur with barely contained skepticism. "Then why are you blushing? Have you even kissed another man Arthur?"

"Oh he has, it was Merlin in fact!" said Morgana going for it as Arthur was bound to be furious with her either way and if she had to put up with his surly mood then she wanted to atleast get some entertainment out of it.

Lance was the one who exclaimed "What? When?"

Gwaine joined in asking "Yeah, I thought he couldn't stand the sight of you!"

Arthur had had enough and he shouted "Will you all just shut up?!"

Lance who was the peacemaker among the group immediately placated "Fine sire, you don't have to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable."

Arthur glared at Lancelot before he said "I don't want to talk because there's nothing to talk about!"

Lancelot nodded though his eyes betrayed that he thought otherwise and Arthur sighed and turned looking straight ahead where Merlin and his knights were riding in similar raucous abandon.

Gwaine who was always the rebel couldn't just obey the Prince though and said "I never understood though why King Phineas wants you both to marry…I would think it would make more sense if he'd asked for Lady Morgana's hand in marriage…after all she has magic too."

Morgana frowned and Arthur felt his chest tighten though he didn't know why as he completely agreed with Gwaine, Morgana would have been the ideal choice for Merlin, she was magical and she had been a dear friend to Merlin whom Merlin had trusted unlike Arthur who had no magical skills whatsoever and who would not be able to connect with Merlin the way a person practicing magic could. It made him feel inadequate somehow and Arthur inwardly laughed at the irony of feeling so because he did not have a talent his father despised and thought him to hate all his life.

Gwaine bless him sensed some of Arthur's distress and Morgana shot him a sharp glare and he easily turned the conversation to other topics as the knights joined in.

Unknown to Arthur and the Knights of Camelot, Merlin was facing a very similar predicament amongst his own group of Knights.

Brom hedged "Aren't you supposed to be riding with your bride?"

Merlin shot him a glare but Brom continued looking unfazed "Oh come on Merlin, you can't avoid him forever and I know you desire the golden haired prince!"

Amr and Ulric shot their heads up in a questioning glance, Merlin shrugged saying "I neither like nor dislike him, have you forgotten that his marriage is purely for political reasons?"

"Be that as it may, you're still going to be married to him and getting to know him and trying to atleast establish a friend ship would make things easier Sire" said Ulric and Merlin's brows drew together in deliberation of the truth in Ulric's statement.

Brom then said "Like it or not dear friend you're stuck with him for life and being on good terms with him is what would be advantageous…" Brom then winked when Merlin shot him a confused look saying "he mightn't let you bed him otherwise."

Merlin snorted in derision at that and said "It's not like I'm gagging for it Brom, I unlike you am not a womanizer."

Brom agreed congenially smiling wickedly as he said "No, you're taste is more for tanned and muscular men with a penchant for being feisty, at first I thought Lady Morgana would have been a suitable match for you but now I must say Prince Arthur is certainly the one for you."

"And why would you think that Brom?"

Brom nudged Merlin's shoulder and said "He frustrates you, he gets under your skin, he doesn't adore you for your power, he's a challenge and you my Prince do sorely need someone who wouldn't bore you to tears and he certainly fills the role."

Merlin smirked and turned away riding on ahead as he realized Brom could possibly be right if Arthur wasn't the son of the man who hated magic, nevertheless he'd been too harsh on the Prince of Camelot and quite outrageous in his behavior assaulting the Prince in his own chambers in Camelot and it filled him with guilt and not a little amount of shame as he resolved to make things better and apologize to the Prince when they set up camp for the night.

After riding well into the sunset the Knights of both kingdoms and their horses were exhausted and set up camp in a small clearing in the forests of Balor, they were nearly a two day ride away from Banraven. Arthur got down from his horse and the knights watched in amazement as all the Wizards began chanting after setting up some folded canvas and poles on the ground and they began to rearrange themselves into tents. Arthur saw Merlin's manservant enter what was presumably Merlin's tent before Merlin himself came forward and said "You take those three" pointing to the three tents on the right side and Arthur wanted to be petulant and say that he was not going to dwell in a tent built from sorcery but Morgana had taken the lead and said "Thankyou Prince Emrys."

Merlin smiled and nodded his head looking at them all awkwardly and then solely at Arthur before he turned and headed inside his tent.

On entering the tent Arthur once again felt awestruck by the opulent space enough for two beds and the glow of three lamps hanging suspended in the air filling the room with a faint yellow light. Morgana entered soon after him and said "Wow, this could be a useful trick to learn."

Arthur nodded grudgingly; even he had to admit that there were some perks to the use of magic.

As night time drew on Arthur joined his knights around the campfire laughing and joking and eating a shared meal, he was in high spirits and he noticed that a few of his knights had already started to socialize with the Knight's of Banraven and watched Gwaine and the Knight who hung around Merlin a lot talking and laughing and sharing stories of their Prince's no doubt. Arthur noticed Merlin was absent among the crowd and thought of it as good riddance.

Arthur retired early for the night as his men were still at the ale laughing and merrymaking. He changed into his night clothes and jumped up on his awfully comfortable bed when he heard the rustling and saw Prince Merlin had entered his tent.

"Do you make it a habit of invading people's privacy in your kingdom?"

"No" said Merlin calmly amused.

"Beg to differ Prince Merlin because you've just invaded my tent without my permission."

Merlin still in that casual tone stated "I would have announced myself had it been a stranger I was visiting, but you're not."

Arthur snorted and said "Don't take familiarity with me just because we're engaged, I still hate you and this situation that you've brought upon me."

"You're father brought this upon you when he started the purge, this is not the way I want things to be either but it is and we can atleast act like responsible adults and mend bridges, I realize I was blasé in my actions against you in Camelot and I apologize, I shouldn't have forced and restrained you against your will and for that I'm sorry, I hope we can start anew" finished Merlin looking hopeful.

Arthur though was furious for having been reminded once again of how weak he was against magic and got up and off the bed screaming "I don't want to get to know you, any of you, you have proved to me beyond doubt that sorcery is evil and that all who practice it are corrupt and immoral, so why don't you just take your proverbial olive branch and burn it in a pyre?"

Merlin pursed his lips and waved his hand, his eyes turning gold for a second and Arthur refrained from wanting to throw something at Merlin and demanded "What did you do now?"

Merlin sighed rocking back on his heels and crossing his arms in front of his chest in a defensive gesture which made Arthur crow in delight inside his mind as Merlin said "Relax, it's only a silencing spell, you were making a racket and I rather our disagreements be between us."

Arthur though was not keen on listening, he was still smarting from how he'd been so thoroughly defeated and constrained in his own territory in Camelot that he spouted vitriol as he asked "So what? You've warded the place so that you could take advantage of me? Bind me invisibly and then force yourself on me as there's no possible way I'd ever let you willingly?"

Merlin was shocked and profoundly hurt by the Prince's harsh and cruel judgment of him and he visibly flinched and rocked back as he said "I…I would never..never do that to anyone, least of all you, do you really think me so dishonorable?"

Arthur laughed humorlessly as he spat "Just because you suddenly became a Prince doesn't mean you by design have honor Merlin, I've known you when you were nothing but a mere peasant and you were anything but honorable…even so you've proved that you are anything but honorable with your actions in Camelot!"

Arthur regretted his harsh statements only when he saw Merlin's blue eyes shutter and a cold mask hide Merlin's expressive and soulful face but before he could say anything to repair the damage he'd done Merlin was gone and Arthur was left alone with a shocked look and sorrow in his heart at how he'd ruined any chance of a friendship or more with his thoughtless words.

As soon as Merlin stormed out Morgana came in demanding to know what the hell had happened but seeing the absolute misery on Arthur's face made Morgana stop short as she sat down beside Arthur and hugged him although she knew Arthur had done something phenomenally stupid.

Arthur fell asleep with difficulty that night after hours of turning and tossing and feeling absolutely guilty, he knew he went too far this time, he'd insinuated that Merlin had tried to dishonor him when he'd enjoyed the power play when he was bound and at Merlin's mercy and most of all Arthur had called Merlin dishonorable when he knew that Merlin was one of the most honorable and honest man Arthur had ever known.

Merlin on the other hand felt sick with hurt and remaining guilt and vowed to stay away from the Prince from now on, he'd find a way to stop the marriage, he knew now there was no hope for him and Arthur and he didn't know why Arthur's malicious words made him so heartsick when he didn't want to be stuck in this marriage in the first place, then he realized that somewhere along the way he'd gotten used to the idea of marrying the young Prince when he'd observed and coveted him from afar in Camelot and he let a lone tear slip before he drank a sleeping draft and warded his tent before going into a deep potion induced slumber.

The next day the tension was palpable in the air as they packed away their supplies and rode hard no one commenting or joking having sensed the moods of their Prince's and Morgana kept shooting worried glances at Arthur and then at Merlin who rode at the front with his knights not even looking their way once, she knew something had happened last night but she did not pry because Arthur was still having that despondent look on his face and Morgana knew better than to push. They saw a huge graveyard in their path to Banraven and Gwaine thought it fitting of the oppressive mood as they rode into the outlying villages of Banraven just as the sun began to set and they once again set up camp, the sorcerers wordlessly arranging for tents for Camelot's knights as well.

Arthur woke up from his sleep when he heard the howls unlike anything he'd ever heard before and sat up in his bed wondering if they were in wolf territory and a little excitement shooting up his veins at the thought of being able to hunt one though it was night time and wolf's were crafty creatures. Morgana woke up then with a ear piercing scream and before he could ask her anything she had gone running out leaving Arthur to follow at a sedate pace outside where he saw that all the sorcerers had woken up and Merlin was trying to comfort an inconsolable Morgana by placing his hands on her shoulders and pulling her closer saying something in dulcet tones that Arthur couldn't hear.

"What the hell happened?" asked Gwaine as the knights of Camelot came out of their tent one by one.

Arthur turned away from Merlin and Morgana and said "I don't know, I heard howling…might be wolves, though I don't know what's made Morgana go stir crazy again" he scowled when he saw Morgana nodding in reply to whatever Merlin was saying.

Gwaine noticed his gaze and said "Huh, they seem to be chummy."

Arthur decided that enough was enough and when he saw the tents being packed and set upon their horses by magic he intervened and demanded "What is happening?"

Merlin looked at him for a brief moment and his eyes reflected fear and trepidation as he said "Ghouls, lots of them, that's why you hear the howling."

"Ghouls?" asked Arthur not comprehending what could possibly be scary about something with such an unimpressive name.

The Knight whom Gwaine was friendly with earlier said by way of explanation, "Yes, grave robbers if you will, they feed on the flesh of the dead by digging corpses out of graves but in many numbers they are known to hunt travelers and eat their flesh as well."

Arthur thought the story was unbelievable until he heard and ear piercing wail that made him dizzy and he closed his ears desperately trying to regain his breath as he bent down. As it was over he saw that his knights and everyone else in the camp had their ears shut and then he heard Merlin bark "Quick, block out your ears with something!"

Merlin then began to chant as his knights joined him raising a pale blue arc of light high above them and surrounding them like a dome.

"We can't keep it up for much longer!" Brom shouted and Merlin nodded.

"You have to go out, all of you!" said Merlin as he dragged a disgruntled Morgana and his knights back to where Arthur was.

Brom shouted "We can't, we don't have a teleportation key!"

Merlin looked up into the high heavens and then they saw it, the hundreds of pale, hideous creature's with disfigured faces, spidery pale limbs and jaws as wide open as a python's dribbling with saliva, bringing the terrible stench of death and rot along with them, Arthur and the Knights looked around to find that they were surrounded on all sides and Morgana clutched his arms tightly when they heard the howling and bent forwards covering their ears again.

Merlin shouted in between the continued yowling, "You all need to cover your ears; the ghoul's howls are dangerous! They can incapacitate humans with it!"

Arthur gritted his teeth and shouted back "We don't have anything to cover our ears with genius!"

Brom looked hesitant for a minute before he bent down further and scooped a handful of mud stuffing them in his ears and nodding to the others to do the same. Arthur had a distinctly disgusted expression on his face and screamed his protest, "I'm not stuffing mud in my ears!"

Merlin gave him an incredulous look and then with a glow of his eyes Arthur's ears were stuffed and the ringing sound of the insane cries mercifully stopped though Arthur glared balefully at Merlin who was holding his hand up trying to maintain the power of the shield from which the ghouls kept bouncing off.

"I can't hold on for much longer, take out your swords! You can kill them!"

Arthur breathed a sigh of relief, sword fighting was something he could do and drew out his sword as his men did the same. Surprisingly Merlin also drew out a sword of his own and Gwaine shouted "Can't you just blast them away with magic?"

The blue glow surrounding them started to fade as Brom screamed "Magic is not effective against ghouls! The best chance we have is to flee from here!"

Lancelot who was close to Arthur said "How's this for excitement sire?"

Arthur breathed in and out heavily before he laughed saying "Wonderful!"

"And remember, do not get bitten by them, they're bite is poisonous!"

"Great, really…that's just great" said Gwaine as he swung his sword in an arc.

Suddenly with a loud bang the blue shield shimmered and then disappeared and the ghouls were on them in a horde. Arthur killed two of them cutting their heads off as they jumped into the frey and then it was an all out bloodbath as everyone fought with their swords managed to cut them down but they kept appearing again and again and Morgana after slicing a ghoul in half with her sword saw the ghouls they had cut down pick up their remaining parts and attach themselves to their body and bounce back again and screamed as she realized there was no way they were escaping out of this alive if it weren't for a miracle.

Merlin soon realized this as well and then figuring that fighting was a lost cause he concentrated on the mental link he shared with his knights saying,  _'You all must get out of here along with Camelot's people, I will perform a teleportation spell and you must go!'_

' _No, No Merlin, don't be ridiculous, we're not leaving you here!' Brom's outrage could be heard in his thoughts._

' _You must all go and that's an order from your sovereign!'_

Merlin cut the mental link and threw away his sword holding both of his hands out and repelling the ghouls in front of him throwing them backwards as his eyes flashed with concealed power, "ON ME!" he shouted and Brom and the Knights of Banraven managed to drag Camelot's parties close to Merlin created a dopplehanger as a distraction and threw it upon the ghouls which were coming for him. When he saw that they were distracted altleast on one side he turned back to the others and saw the his men still cutting down the creatures spouting from all directions as stretched out his hands and repelled the ghouls to a five feet distance of them.

Arthur and the knights of Camelot were stunned by his display of power and Arthur indignantly demanded "Why didn't you that earlier you idiot?"

Merlin smiled despite himself for a minute wondering if it was normal for him to be amused when he was going to be ghoul food in a few short minutes if everything went according to plan. "Stay still!" he shouted and understanding dawned on Morgana's face as she tried to move towards him saying "No Merlin, you have to come with us!"

Before she can come any closer Merlin froze all of them and time for a second seeing the resignation on the faces of his knights and Morgana and Arthur's horror filled expression before he recited the spell praying to the gods for it to work.

He directed his magic to flow forward, to envelope him and then surround the group he'd kept frozen before he heard a wind whooshing indicating he'd done it right and then he saw them all disappear one by one and hoped he'd transported them somewhere far away and to safety instead of just a mile away or so.

His hands fell and the time freezing spell was disrupted and Merlin's last thought was how undignified a death he was going to have before his eyes blacked out and he fell on the ground closing his eyes and in a last ditch effort calling Aithusa in dragon tongue feebly.

At the same time the group of Camelot's and Banraven's knights appeared in the castle gates along with Morgana and Arthur all covered in mud and grime sticking to their shirts and skin.

Arthur immediately grabbed Brom by his shirt, "How can you leave him to die out there? He's your Prince; you're supposed to protect him!"

Brom shrugged him off and snapped "We were acting under the Prince's strict orders!"

Arthur was about to reply in kind to that when they heard the beat of wings and looked up to see three dragons flowing out of the castle and out into the night the beat of their massive leathery wings sounding like a windstorm as they flew away and disappeared into the distance.

Brom and Amr sighed before Brom said "We'll have to trust Aithusa to find him and bring him back."


	8. Chapter - 8

**Chapter-8**

"I'm sure he's fine Arthur." Morgana said for the umpteenth time but Arthur would not stop pacing, his worry palpable.

"Why won't they let me see him?" asked Arthur crossly after a while.

Morgana rolled her eyes in exasperation and fondness as she said "Did you ever consider that he might just want to rest after that ordeal?"

Arthur huffed and then sat down on the bed at last, "I never thought he was so powerful, or that he has more co-ordination skills than I ever saw in him during hunting."

Morgana theorized, "It's possible the king placed a charm on him to hide his natural qualities when he was young, some charms can hold back a person not allowing them to access the full extent of their powers."

Arthur rubbed his temples and sighed "Is there any part of him that they haven't manipulated, if Merlin ever remembers he's going to feel so cheated."

Morgana looked unsure for a moment and gazed out of the window as she said "I don't think he will."

Arthur stared at her willing her to explain more but he understood from her silence that there was a very real possibility that Merlin may never remember at all.

A week passed since Merlin rescued them all from the horrible ghouls and the dragons bought back Merlin from the forests, a week since anyone even saw him and only his mother and father were allowed to visit, the rooms were warded against any other intruders and though Arthur surreptiously tried to sneak it one day he only got a painful stinging feeling that persisted for the whole day and then he gave up attending council meetings when it was required and walking through the castle and the lower towns with Morgana or practicing with his knights in the outlying forest when there was a chance to go outside.

Being in a magical kingdom was very different from any of the normal visits he'd had to foreign kingdoms before and Arthur never failed to be amazed by all the intricacies and marvels of the magical folk. There were a group of sorcerers and they specialized in various branches of sorcery just like there were farmers, tailors, soldiers and servants in Camelot but everything here was done by magic and sometimes it was a wonderment to see the crops growing so robustly and the children chasing imaginary fairies they'd created or the new born babes light up a fire or conjure a toy out of thin air like magic was as natural as breathing air to them.

He slowly began to understand that magic was not an evil thing by itself for how could he call a babe in a cradle evil for doing something as instinctual as feeding was to it. Still the apprehension remained for he'd suffered too much at the hands of magic to truly trust it to be completely good.

On the second week since their noteworthy arrival in the Banraven Kingdom Morgana received a scroll and Arthur was amused to see the note attached to the owl and as Morgana untied it from it's legs Arthur went over to take a look as Morgana turned away to hide it away from his site.

"What is it Morgana? Don't tell me you have a lovesick admirer after you already!" Arthur teased and saw Morgana glower at him.

"It's from Merlin actually; he's asked me if I could meet him in his chambers this afternoon."

Arthur's happy expression melted into a frown at that and he demanded "What could he possibly have to discuss with you?"

Morgana noticed the unhappy tone and shrugged asking "It's probably to discuss my abilities; I've been wanting to talk to him about it actually, want me to convey anything?"

Arthur shook his head indicating that he didn't, after all what did he have to say to Merlin any more, he'd quite clearly sabotaged anything they could have had with his hasty words and the Merlin he used to know might have been more forgiving but he wasn't sure about this sorcerer and Prince Merlin whom Arthur knew and yet didn't know. However, he couldn't help but be a little jealous of Morgana's closeness with Merlin before and even now.

"Just let me know if he's alright when you come back."

Arthur left and Morgana sighed turning away wondering just how stupid boys could be, she knew that Merlin had eyes only for Arthur when he was Arthur's manservant and Morgana still saw how Merlin's eyes roved over Arthur everytime they were in the same room though he tried not to be as obvious about it as he was when he was a servant. Still Morgana and just about everyone who knew Arthur and Merlin knew that they were special to each other, she just wished they were brought together on their own terms rather than being forced into a politically beneficial marriage.

Morgana knocked before entering Merlin's chambers as she heard a faint come in from inside, she was hit with a sense of déjà vu as she remembered the last time she'd been here and the damage she'd wrought when she'd brought the ceiling outside the room crumbling down around them. She saw Merlin propped up on the bed his hand in a bandage that covered his neck and chest and he smiled when he saw her, "Lady Morgana!"

Morgana who was still not quite accustomed to hearing her name so formally from Merlin said "Prince Merlin, how are you faring?"

"I'm fine thankyou, do you know why I called you here?"

"The visions?" hinted Morgana and got a confirmatory nod from Merlin.

Merlin groaned when he tried to sit up further, "Yes, I wanted to talk to you about your visions."

Morgana smiled slightly as she said "I thought so too."

"How long have you been having them?"

Morgana frowned, although she appreciated Merlin's concern she still felt it all a bit too surreal to explain this to Merlin all over again, "Ever since I was a child, I've always had troubled nights."

"I presume sleeping drafts don't help much at all?"

"No." Morgana said quietly.

"There are people here who can help you, Master Taliesian teaches seers how to control their powers, he can be found in the Eastern Towers on every Tuesdays, you could be one of his pupil."

Morgana felt relieved and happy for the first time in a long while and expressed her gratitude but Merlin shrugged it off saying it was nothing.

"How is…Arthur?" asked Merlin a little tentatively not knowing if he wanted to know but inquisitiveness getting the better of him anyway.

Morgana smiled inwardly but calmly said "He's fine, he's coming to like your Kingdom very much and he's frustrated that people would not allow him to see you."

Merlin looked surprised at that and said as much, "Can't imagine why he'd want to see me, after all the last time we had a conversation he was very clear about not wanting to be bothered by me."

Morgana noticed that Merlin looked genuinely troubled and said "Arthur often says what he doesn't really mean, he's a brash person like that, growing up under Uther's strict laws didn't give him much room to know how to express himself properly…I'm not defending his more than appalling behavior most of the time but he's a good man once you get to know him."

Merlin didn't look convinced though and Morgana could see it but she didn't push as she made her excuses and left wondering just what Arthur could have said to put such a look of ache on Merlin's ever cheerful face.

Arthur had gleaned from Morgana that Merlin was well except for his arm which had been badly injured. The next day Arthur, Morgana and the knights were sitting at the dinner hall when Merlin and his knights made an appearance for the first time since they arrived at Banraven, the King embraced his son tightly and led him to the high table to sit with the Queen.

Arthur cast glances at Merlin from time to time first worried about him and then getting irritated because here he was driving himself batty with concern for his old manservant's hide and Merlin couldn't even be bothered to glance at him. But then he remembered what he had accused Merlin of and sobered at once staring into his wine cup and frowning glumly the whole way through dinner.

Gwaine who was sitting close to Arthur nudged his arm, "You're brooding."

"I am not!" objected Arthur.

"It's strange seeing him this way isn't it? He's so graceful and poise!"

Arthur contemplated this as he stared across the space separating him and Merlin and saw him dine elegantly and make polite conversation with his knights and nobles.

Arthur hummed non-comitally, he supposed that if Morgana's theory about the enchantment was right then this was how Merlin was always meant to be. However seeing this strange powerful creature and not a lumbering idiot made it hard for Arthur to reconcile this image of Merlin with the one he had in his head though witnessing his power first hand when he single handedly saved them all from the ghouls made Arthur realize just how powerful Merlin must be for all these people to revere him so highly.

"Well, this might lighten your mood; we get to see Banraven's Knight's training tomorrow at noon."

Arthur turned then his eyes shining with interest, he'd known that there must be people training military men here too but he wasn't sure that they'd be allowed to see them practice or if they practiced only sorcery or physical combat too.

Lance took up the topic then, "Yes, I heard things were put to a rest as the royal family and their knights had just returned from Camelot but tomorrow they're starting training again and Merlin is the chief commander."

Arthur glanced at Merlin again as he sipped from his goblet of fine mead, "Merlin is to fight?"

Gwaine grinned showing all his teeth his eyes shining mischievously as he said "Yes, we get to see him and his knights in action tomorrow!"

Arthur directed a worried glance at Merlin's arm which was in a sling, "He's still hurt.." he said doubtfully.

Gwaine guffawed while Lance looked at Arthur with a kind of approval in his eyes, "Don't start being a nagging wife now Arthur! The man is so powerful he can probably bring anyone down without having to lift a finger."

Arthur was disturbed by the careless attitude Gwaine and basically everyone else in the kingdom exhibited regarding Merlin's so called unassailable nature and it made him purse his lips in displeasure, "He's not actually invincible you know…" tried Arthur hesitantly at first but growing bolder as he thought of how Merlin had been outsmarted by the ghouls in the forest. If there was one thing Arthur knew about magic and magical creatures it was that they should never underestimate.

Gwaine paused but said "He's close, after all he's the Great Prophesized Emrys!"

"That doesn't make him immortal, he's a man just like any of us and he's just as vulnerable."

Lance nodded while Gwaine frowned, "You may have a point there Princess, but it's your job to worry about him while we get to watch from the sidelines and enjoy the show."

Arthur put down his goblet and stated in his princely tone "You as a Knight of Camelot have sworn fealty to me and me being married to Merlin would mean that you've sworn fealty to him by extension, it only means that now instead of being bound to protect just me with your life if you must you're also expected to do that for Prince Merlin!"

Gwaine rolled his eyes at Arthur's self important tirade, "As if you'd let any one of us be his Knight in Shining Armor when you're around!"

Arthur was about to argue but then he saw Merlin stand up and leave without any of his knights accompanying and Arthur rose from his seat having sub consciously made the decision to chase after Merlin.

Lance and Gwaine shared a look before Gwaine said "I hope they sort out whatever tiff their having."

"Me too" mumbled Lance as they both watched Arthur's disappearing back.

When Arthur finally caught up to him Merlin was in the castle corridors walking briskly away and Arthur shouted his name "MERLIN!"

Merlin stopped and turned around, the faint moonlight illuminating his face and making his pale face look strikingly beautiful in the deep black tunic he wore with his front laces undone, Arthur gulped not knowing what to say when Merlin was standing there with an expectant look on his face half turned away from Arthur wanting to get away from his as fast as possible Arthur supposed.

Arthur fumbled for a while as he catched his breath as a line began to appear in Merlin's forehead from his impatience Arthur blurted "I…I wanted to apologize."

Merlin looked surprised for a minute before his face cleared and he demanded "For?"

Arthur directed his gaze down unable to get it out while meeting Merlin's eyes, "For..for what I said to you the other night in my tent…you have to know that I did not mean any of it and that I am sorry."

Merlin's lips pursed and Arthur waited not knowing what else to say when he saw the angry glare in Merlin's blue eyes, "You accused me of having forced myself on you as a joke?"

Arthur wondered why every conversation he ever attempted to have with Merlin went haywire these days, "No..no…I was angry and I lashed out at you!"

Merlin growled and took a step closer to Arthur and Arthur stepped back despite wanting to stand his ground, "God Arthur, you made me feel like a savage brute! You accused me of being dishonorable in the most offensive of ways and now you tell me that you wanted only to use me as an emotional punching bag?"

Arthur knew he was a prat at times and he knew the old Merlin called him out on it almost every day but the old Merlin, Arthur's manservant Merlin had never been so punishing in his honesty, he'd never made Arthur feel so ashamed of his behavior, there was always a line between manservant and prince, master and servant and Arthur had been of the opinion that he was allowed some perks as the Prince and Merlin never questioned him but now being on equal footing made Arthur stumble, he knew that Merlin was a Prince now, that he didn't have to tolerate Arthur's antics like his manservant Merlin but it made it ever so hard to accept when he knew he was never going to be Arthur's idiot servant and true friend ever again.

Merlin was not done though and Arthur found himself walking back with every step Merlin took until he found his back hitting the stone wall and Merlin's stormy eyes looming in front of him.

"Tell me why I shouldn't just renounce this marriage and withdraw from the peace treaty?"

Arthur snorted unable to help himself as he snapped "You're not nearly petty and thoughtless enough to risk a war because you're irate with me!"

Merlin gritted his teeth and Arthur could sense his dark mood a mile away which would want any sane person to run hiding but the fury shining in Merlin's eyes only made Arthur feel giddy and lightheaded with desire, "I am not just irate with you, I'm furious and don't presume to know what I will or will not do when you don't even know me."

Arthur sighed then trying hard to conceal the pleasurable curl in his belly at Merlin's proximity, "You're wrong there Merlin, I do know you and if my apology is not enough tell me what I can do to make amends."

Merlin looked thoughtful for only a minute before he asked "Why did you accuse me of being dishonorable if you weren't feeling that your honor was being compromised? Why did you lie to me?"

Arthur glared at Merlin hard, of all the things he could ask of Arthur and he wanted Arthur to bare his soul, not a chance in hell, "I told you already! I was angry!"

"Angry at what? Or were you just ashamed to admit that you liked it and were angry at yourself?"

Arthur didn't say anything to that but the blush rising in his cheeks was answer enough and Merlin grinned triumphantly, his expression foreign to Arthur as he stated "Smug doesn't suit you Merlin!"

Merlin wasn't deterred though as he leaned closer still until there was no space for air between them and brought one hand up to caress Arthur cheeks with his long and nimble fingers, "Tell me to stop now and I will."

Arthur trembled at the husky desire in Merlin's voice and the hardness he felt against his thigh, his own prick mirroring Merlin's reactions. When Merlin thrust just so rubbing in all the right places Arthur groaned and rasped "Don't stop!"

Merlin closed the distance between them with the firm press of his lips against Arthur's and Arthur relished in the softness of it for a while letting it reassure him and assuage the dread he'd felt when he'd known Merlin was left alone to die with the ghouls as Merlin's fingers moved up to run through Arthur's hair and Arthur's hand crept towards Merlin's nape bringing him closer and then Merlin licked at Arthur's bottom lip sucking on the juicy flesh before he bit them suddenly making Arthur gasp as Merlin plundered his way into Arthur's mouth licking along the roof of his mouth and coaxing his tongue to play duel with Merlin's. Arthur and Merlin stayed kissing and caught up in their embrace for a long time before they heard several footsteps and parted both of them looking flushed and with their lips lush and red from kissing.

Merlin was the first to recover as he said "I'll see you tomorrow Arthur." And with a light peck to Arthur's cheeks he walked away at a rapid pace turning back to look at Arthur just once before disappearing.

As soon as Merlin was out of sight Arthur thunked his head against the wall and thought he was doomed if this was how he responded to Merlin's touch and wondered how the prospect of marriage to a man and Merlin at that turned from being daunting to being exhilarating.


	9. Chapter - 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur get's to see the Knights of Banraven training, accidents happen, Oh and Arthur figures out Merlin's got an obsession with his bum!

"Today we will begin lessons on how to combat with magical creatures, most specifically Giants."

The Knights of Camelot were assembled in a group in front of what was presumably the training field and they all collectively drew a breath in anticipation of what was to come. There were three massive wooden props on one side of the large field reaching far into the sky and the Knights of Banraven with their raven insignia embroidered in their cape stood tall in a line on the other side, they had donned chainmail today and Arthur grew curious as to why.

"Before we begin, you must know that all Giants are not a threat to the society, some choose to dwell peacefully away from the general populace and being at the top of the food chain they have the benefit of ridding the realm of some truly troublesome beasts without our interference." The training master's voice penetrated the group gathered in the sidelines and they all listened with rapture as this training was proving to be nothing like what they had ever done before.

Arthur's lips quirked up in a lopsided smile when Merlin directed his gaze on him, he still remembered their scorching kiss earlier and now he was more than eager to witness Merlin's legendary powers that was the talk of all the five kingdoms although he kept from bouncing on the balls of his feet like a gaping child much like Gwaine was now.

"However, hostile giants are very dangerous creatures; you all know how many a battle had been turned because of the Giants allegiance."

"These large wooden props will be animated into Giants by me and you will all strategically defeat them after you have formed a battle plan."

Arthur felt a sense of unease now as he gazed upon the tall two barrels thick prop and bit his bottom lip, Merlin's arm was still in a sling and though Arthur knew Merlin could very well defend himself with magic he couldn't help but worry as he had first handedly seen how clumsy and un-coordinated Merlin could be on the best of days. In his worry about Merlin Arthur failed to notice the glare the training master occasionally directed at him and his knights were too preoccupied with watching avidly to note it either.

"Take note of this clearly, the giants are aggressive, they cannot be destroyed by any simple charm, a shield will not offer you protection against them, they cannot be shrunk or changed into another animate magical creature or be turned into inanimate objects."

As the master listed all of the advantages the giants had Arthur began to grow even more apprehensive and Lancelot reflected the fear in Arthur's eyes.

"Surely they won't be seriously harmed sire; it's only a practice drill."

Arthur was not appeased though but he couldn't very well let them all think he was worrying so he bit out "I'm not bothered either way Lancelot."

It fooled none of them though and Arthur went back to glaring at the training field at Merlin, as if it was his fault for being born a magical Prince and making Arthur feel so discomfited which according to Arthur was entirely Merlin's fault anyway.

"The giants may be strong but they lack agility, they are clumsy and most often very stupid, so the trick is to get them incapacitated as quickly as possible. Powerful charms like the Apes Igniferae and Captus Flammeus work but only a few warlocks with very powerful magic can manage to do so."

"Today all of you will be focusing on how to defeat them with weapons and very basic charms that all sorcerers are capable of doing. You may not use charms that break the illusion or charms that you know will be ineffective against a real giant. There will be a protection field outside this battle area and anyone who wishes to withdraw or is wounded need only step outside. Prince Emrys will lead you all."

The Knights then made their way over to the sides with Merlin leading them all and they formed a group with Merlin in the center discussing what Arthur assumed battle strategies.

"Anyone else have a bad feeling about this?" asked Arthur and Elyan, Leon, Percy, Gwaine and Lance nodded their heads.

Arthur turned front then to the group, "Yes that's what I thought."

Morgana turned up then and asked "Oh dear, what did I miss?"

Gwaine filled her in on what had happened and Morgana eyed the props grimacing.

"They have to go up against something the size of that?"

"Yep, and look whose here!" pointed Gwaine to the stands where there was a separate high table and chairs for the royals only to see the King seated there with two guards on either side of him.

"And I thought sword training was dangerous…" intoned Morgana and all heads turned to look at her in outrage.

"Oh please, like your training could be anywhere as magnificent as this" Morgana huffed.

"Aren't you supposed to be with some old divination teaching codger?"

"Why Arthur dear, I do not because I happen to be one of Master Taliesian's star pupil and he left me early to see the training."

It figures Morgana would be good at this too, like she was in everything else. Arthur wondered at the unfairness of her having been gifted with magic while he was born with not even an iota of it. After all he was the one who was going to be stuck in this magical kingdom with no magic whatsoever for a long time to come.

And outrages of all outrages Merlin had just now smiled and waved at Morgana when he saw her, his ever jubilant spirits even in the face of deadly human crushing giants made Arthur irritated indeed and no it had nothing to do with how Morgana and Merlin had so easily re-established their easy camaraderie while Arthur was left to flounder everytime him and Merlin were so much as in each others presence.

They saw the knights of Banraven carrying crossbows except Merlin and two other who stood at the front, they had divided themselves into three groups for facing the three would be giants and Merlin was leading the first group in the front.

The same training master who'd not been seen anywhere until now came forward suddenly and Arthur frowned in suspicion before he decided it must be some magical perk.

"Before we start remember if anyone needs to withdraw step out beyond this…' the man paused before he drew out a wand and incanted something indiscernible to Arthur atleast and a silvery line surrounded the ground where the battle was to take place, the Knights of Camelot were about three feet away from where the circle started in front of them, 'circle, and remember these protections will not be useful if you are facing a real giant. If you are all ready, we shall begin."

The training masters gaze was trained on Merlin who gave a curt nod and with the same wand the man drew it out in a circle around his head before he thrust the wand in front of him and his eyes glowed golden with the power, Arthur and the Knights gasped when they saw the wooden props slowly transforming right in front of their eyes and assumed shapes of thick wiry legs and hands and a horribly ugly face with a round and protruding belly and all this wouldn't have been so fear inspiring if it weren't for the shear enormity of the three figures.

"Alright, this is definitely a bad idea!" said Gwaine breathless despite not having done anything but watch.

Arthur snorted saying "You think!"

Suddenly the giants screamed showing off their large grotesque teeth and everyone gulped moving a step back involuntarily as they watched Merlin's group charge forwards towards the first giant.

The Knights were Arthur had to admit skilled warriors as every arrow struck true and they were managing to do it while also enchanting the arrows with a blue light, Arthur supposed it must be some harmful enchantment but he had no idea.

The giants though were as stupid as predicted and were just hitting their massive hands into the ground trying and failing to crush anything in their wake while spinning this way and that to avoid the arrows.

"It looks like the same enchantment Merlin used to help me kill the griffin sire!" Lancelot shouted to be heard over all the chaos happening in the field.

Arthur was impossibly annoyed that Lancelot had brought that sore subject up but then realized that Merlin might have remembered something from his past and cast a hopeful glance at Morgana who looked undecided.

The three groups were attacking separately and one of them had somehow brought the second giant down as it roared and howled in agony clutching at its eyes and falling forward on to its knees. The sorcerer knights then conjured thick chains from the air and made them wind around the giant until it was on the ground writhing in futile effort to break free.

"Where's Merlin?" asked Morgana and everyone directed their gazes to the other two giants which were giving the knights a problem as it had turned its back on them and was pounding the ground everywhere around it causing the ground to crack and some of the knights to fall inside loosing their precarious balance.

"ON ME! Aim the eyes!" they heard Merlin holler and saw a small band of knights approaching from the other side trying to sneak upon the giant while it was sufficiently distracted uprooting two trees with a singled hand and hurling it at the group of knights in the front as they went tumbling down into the ground.

"What the hell is he doing? Can't he see that it clearly has the advantage!" screamed Arthur fretting all out now.

"Don't worry quite so much Arthur! He's the greatest sorcerer in the land."

"He's not indestructible Morgana!"

The arrows were shot and from their vantage point they could see Merlin stretching his hands out towards the giant but Arthur didn't catch on to it and wanted to clobber Merlin over the head asking what he was doing instead of fleeing when it looked like the giant was going to crush them beneath its huge paws when the giant let out a wail much like the one which had fallen and it was clutching at its eyes with its hands when it was brought down to the ground by chains similar to the first one.

The last giant was prowling the grounds with a huge tree held in its hand and Arthur saw Merlin commanding his Knights and they separated out into two groups one of them going to help the Knights trapped beneath the tree whereas the others joined Merlin.

Merlin and his knights approached the beast cautiously this time as it was moving back and away from the group, just as they were close enough and the soldiers took aim the beast threw the uprooted tree in their direction which Merlin managed to stop freezing it in mid air and then letting it drop.

"See that, didn't I tell you he was great?" asked Morgana but before she could even get the sentence out there was a huge crash and Arthur felt the dawning horror creep up on him as he saw Merlin thrown back from the force of the giants hand.

"Merlin!" Arthur and Morgana went to leap forward but Gwaine held Morgana while Lancelot held Arthur.

"You can't go in there! You won't be protected from them!"

"I can't leave him!"

"I'm sure they aren't going to leave him to die, calm down Princess!"

The split second was enough for the beast to bring out its massive hand and sweep all of the knights including Merlin off their feet, they fell like a stack of cards held upright until the slightest pressure of a finger bough them crumbling down. The giant then looked about the whole field before it saw the other group of Knights whom Merlin had sent to help those wounded out coming towards it with their crossbows at the ready, it roared in anger and pounded the earth hard making all of the knights loose their footing and fall down before it charged coming straight at them. No one noticed the eerily satisfied look the training master directed at Arthur and the Knights of Camelot and with a sneer and a subtle twist of his wand the protection barrier fell.

"Oh no, no, that's not good!" said Gwaine.

"It can't cross the field!" Morgana said though not in an entirely convincing tone.

"Are you sure about that my Lady?" asked Gwaine.

"We aren't going to wait here to find out! RUN! RUN!"

But no matter that they had started to run the giant caught up with them much faster and with a swipe by its hands all of them were thrown up into the air in a projectile each of them landing on their back several feet away.

Arthur was disoriented from the blow to his head and had just begun to try and sit up when he saw a vast shadow obliterating his vision, Arthur blinked and then again and once his vision cleared he found out why it was so dim, it was because the giant was standing right in front of him with its hands curled into fists ready to strike and Arthur gasped. Some delicate balance had been disrupted when Arthur made the sound and the giant drew back its fists as Arthur cowered back with his arms held up over his head in a flimsy excuse for protection.

Merlin got up immediately after being thrown down and looked around the field before spotting the giant rushing away and away in the direction that Arthur and his men were standing, he was too far away for a spell to work though and so he gave chase hoping that the circle's protections would hold but then he saw it charging at the Arthur and his knights throwing them off. The giant looked around at the fallen knights and then went for Arthur and Merlin thought 'no, no, no, not Arthur!' He could contemplate about the fierce thought later though, now he had to save Arthur. He was finally in casting distance and raised his hand an illusion breaking spell already on his tongue as the giant raised its enormous fist.

" _Se dissolvant circumstantia Falsa!"_

Arthur was still expecting the blow but only felt a fierce tug and the next thing he saw was Merlin's feet. Merlin looked down at him for a moment before he trained his eyes on the wooden prop standing in place of the giant and with some quietly murmured words it dissolved into the air into nothing.

As the last of the dust dissipated Arthur felt gentle hands on his head and his nape feeling him out for injuries and Merlin was saying something in that soothing voice of his but Arthur was too far gone, not being able to believe that he was alive. He had truly believed that he was going to die for a minute there and it was so different from all the times he'd faced death before. He was alone, cornered, powerless to do anything, some people said that their life's memories swifted through their mind when they were about to die but all Arthur had felt when lying there was the gut clenching terror and the shame of how useless he'd been.

"Arthur, Arthur, you're safe…" murmured Merlin and then without thinking better of it he hugged Arthur close, "You're safe, it's gone now." Arthur felt the terror dissipating and in its place was anger and suspicion.

Arthur clung to Merlin for just under a minute before he shoved Merlin back and got to his feet, shamed and angered beyond belief, he could not believe that he had been saved by Merlin yet again.

"What the hell happened?"

Merlin scrambled up as well and said "The giant threw you off and was going to crush you, I had to stop it."

"I thought we were on the safe side! Or is this some conspiratorial plan to assassinate me?"

"Arthur, don't be ludicrous!" Merlin could hardly believe it, here he was out of breath from running across the field to save the Prince's royal behind and Arthur was accusing him of an assassination plot of all things.

"How dare you? I almost got crushed by a beast a sorcerer conjured and you call me ludicrous!"

"How do I know this is not some ploy of yours against the throne of Camelot?"

Merlin was at the end of his tether now and he snapped "You must have hit your head hard. I save your royal ass and this is how you repay me! "

Arthur sputtered in outrage as he growled and pulled Merlin closer by his shirt front, "I am not the one not speaking sense here, you're sorcerer was supposed to keep things safe!"

Merlin sighed and took hold of Arthur's hands fisting his shirt and slowly eased them off as he placated "I know and rest assured I will be having words with Master Ambrosius but you have to come with me now."

Arthur sprang back again after the initial compliance, "I'm not coming anywhere with you, you're kind are all lying, cheating, two faced, treacherous.."

And Arthur would have continued except he found his mouth being closed off by Merlin's palm and he tried to get it off only to have Merlin threaten "I can cut off your voice Arthur! And stop making such accusations especially when I have saved your life, again!"

"I wouldn't have needed saving if it weren't for sorcery in the first place!"

"Oh there you go again with the 'all sorcerers are evil' song, really Arthur, it is getting old."

"Listen, you're hurt, you're bleeding from a wound in your head and you need a physician." Merlin explained all this patiently like he would to a child while Morgana and Gwaine watched from afar having picked themselves up after the fall, both of them were looking at the Prince's with ill concealed amusement in their faces.

"I'm not trusting any physician in this god forsaken Kingdom!"

"God's help me, do you ever stop acting like a snotty, spoiled, whining child?"

"Not really" interrupted Morgana having far too much fun at the expense of her dear brother.

"I do not whine, Morgana you evil harpy, you're not supposed to take his side." Arthur said his anger all forgotten and still wanting to continue arguing anyway, he knew deep inside that an assassination attempt was highly unlikely as it would lead to immediate war and bloodshed but he was still Uther Pendragon's son and some things died hard.

They were slowly walking back towards the castle anyhow, and Arthur kept on bickering with Merlin the whole way. Merlin and Morgana saw King Phineas and the training master engaged in a heated discussion but Arthur was sulking and the wound on his head made him dizzy and he couldn't wait to get back to his chambers so he missed the significant look Morgana shared with Merlin behind his back.

"Tell me Merlin, do you sorcerers manage to do anything right?"

"Do you not make mistakes while wielding a blade?"

"No, because Merlin making a mistake while wielding a sword could very well make one loose a limb!" Arthur explained like Merlin was a bit dim.

"He almost amputated Sir Gregory's hands when he was young" inserted Morgana with a chuckle.

Merlin directed them to the physician's chambers while Arthur took up bantering with Morgana, he had an amused half smile on his face as he opened the door to the hospital wing and led them inside, he recognized that bantering was the way for Arthur to forget about almost dying today and did not begrudge him that. In fact, he was almost fond of it and found the Prince's behavior to be amusing to no end, no one talked to him like that anymore except for his closest knights and he knew one thing for sure that he would never ever be bored with Arthur.

The physician checked Arthur first and then declared there was no serious damage from the fall, it was only after all the adrenaline rush left his body that Merlin began to feel exhausted both from the effort of using powerful magic and from the smarting in his shoulder. The physician Alice was a kind woman and made him sit down before she examined him as well.

"You should know not to exert yourself so Emrys!" she chastised and Merlin smiled apologetically for which she tutted in response. Arthur watched from the nearest chair feeling his heart go out at how typical Merlin was acting, he could remember a hundred times Merlin had smiled the same smile at Gaius as the old physician berated him for being so clumsy while out with Arthur during hunting.

"That Ambrosius, he should know not to unleash such destructive things especially while training."

"You know better than anyone how it will be a hundred times worse in battle Alice; he was just doing his job preparing us."

Alice disapproving frown didn't melt though and she handed Merlin a potion and then one to Arthur instructing him to take it should he feel any pain before sending them on their way off.

Arthur and Merlin parted ways when Arthur was in front of his chamber door, Merlin hesitated before saying "I'm sorry we put all of you in danger today, you are right we should watch ourselves better."

Arthur though shrugged it off now and said "No harm done Merlin, a giant isn't enough to faze a Pendragon and really they were only totally ugly oafs."

"Sure you weren't fazed at all, that must be why you were cowering in fear while I saved your royal hide."

"I was not cowering!" retorted Arthur knowing it was a blatant lie and not caring either way, "And stop with my royal hide, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were obsessed with it!"

"I am not obsessed with your hide!"

"You forgot royal Merlin and I'm fairly sure you are obsessed with my behind because you alluded to it only about what, three times today?"

Merlin was flushing and Arthur was gratified to know the tables were turned to his favor for once and he goaded "Don't worry, I know you can't help yourself", what he didn't expect though was for Merlin to leer at him and then come closer.

"Perhaps I am obsessed with it," he whispered close to Arthur's ears, his warm breath tickling the sensitive flesh of Arthur's ear lobe, "it belongs to me after all does it not? And I take very good care of what belongs to me." The husky voice was a dark promise and with a light barely there nip to Arthur's lobe Merlin withdrew and walked away from Arthur leaving Arthur to wonder just when Merlin had learned and become so proficient at the arts of wooing and seduction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thankyou for all the comments and kudos so far! I wish I had the time to reply to all comments personally and I will when I have the time!   
> It means so much to me that people take the time to comment and leave kudos so thankyou again!


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